tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61609162024-03-14T07:07:46.338+11:00Just in CASEThe latest thoughts from the CASE director and the CASE communityTrevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger372125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-23281794510549617232016-01-14T21:57:00.001+11:002016-01-14T21:57:51.476+11:00In the Flesh<style>@font-face {
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To be human is to be embodied. But many religious and spiritual traditions see the flesh as
something to be overcome or transcended; an illusion to be seen through; a
temptation to be overcome; a temporary home for an immaterial being who may in
the past even have been an animal—and may be again in the future. </div>
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Christianity too, has sometimes been guilty of demoting the
body. When Aquinas married Aristotelian philosophy to Christian theology in the
13<sup>th</sup> Century, he claimed it was the intellect that made us properly
human. Being bound to body was a limitation that tempted us to chase lesser
goods, and forced us to know things through the senses instead of directly
perceiving their essences as God does. Aquinas’ vision was of heaven or blessedness
as the eternal, intellectual contemplation of the divine essence. This is a vision
which leaves little place for the body and has bequeathed to Christianity a
tradition of an immaterial afterlife. In popular Christian thought to this day,
this airy future has tended to supplant the New Testament hope of a resurrected
body which will physically inhabit a new creation.<br />
<br />It is not surprising that this view has been difficult to quash. There are many NT passages that connect the flesh with sin, Romans 8 being one of the clearest:<br /><i><br />Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.</i> (Rom 8:5)<br /><br />And there are others that suggest the body has no place in the kingdom of God:<br /><br /><i>I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.</i> (1 Cor 15:50)<br /><br />Yet a closer examination reveals that the ‘flesh’ these texts leave behind is the fallen, mortal body—not embodiment per se. Yes, we will receive bodies that are different to those we have now, but we will still be embodied:<br /><br /><i>The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.</i> (1 Cor 15:42-44)<br /><br />God himself took on flesh in the person of Jesus – something we particularly remember around Christmas time—and in his resurrection, he remains embodied. <br /></div>
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In the latest edition of Case Quarterly we explore
embodiment through a number of interesting articles. In ‘Earthy Epiphanies’ <a href="https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/trevor-andrews-hart%2815289981-6486-43b7-8877-ca3dd05ad867%29.html">TrevorHart</a> draws out the interconnections between our embodiment, Christ’s
incarnation, and the materiality of art. The article is based on the second of
Hart’s <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/new-college-lectures-1">2015 New College Lectures</a>, in which he considered the inseparability of
meaning and matter in works of art and its parallels in Christology.<br />
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The resurrection body, with its escape from death and decay,
is something Christians long for. Yet while we remain in the flesh in this era,
we still face death and decay, and two of our articles address this. Vaughan
Olliffe looks at the particular hopes and concerns regarding this
transformation from the perspective of people with disabilities. <a href="http://f1000.com/prime/thefaculty/member/9972540853711236">John Wyatt</a>,<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Paediatrics at University College London,
shares his insights and stories of those who suffer, yet find redemption and
hope where we might expect despair. For in Christ we have ‘the knowledge that
suffering is not the end of the story’. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">These
themes—creativity, embodiment and brokenness--are also expressed beautifully
and movingly in the poetry of <a href="http://twu.ca/directory/faculty/peter-stiles.html">Peter Stiles</a>, whose collection of verse, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trumped by Grace,</i> has just been
published.[i]<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6160916#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""></a>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kamal
Weerakoon scrutinises the meeting ground of Human Rights legislation and human
sexuality, asking whether there is such a thing as a right to sexual fulfilment.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This
exploration of embodiment is completed with Steve Brown’s reflections on the
church as the body of Christ, and what this means for its members.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Subscribers
to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i> Quarterly</a> should have their copies already – enjoy! If you are not a
subscriber you can read two articles from the latest edition free of charge by
visiting the <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php">CASE</a> website. You might like to consider many of the other free
material while you are there. If you’d like to subscribe you can do so for as little as $20 per
year for four issues (student rate), pdf version ($30 per year) or $55 per year
the hard copy. Library and school rates are also available. </span></div>
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find out more or order the collection, please email Peter at: <a href="mailto:peter.stiles@wima.edu.au"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/mail\.newcollege\.unsw\.edu\.au\/owa\/redir\.aspx?C=LxFSN2QcPkO_9xBbZfXyHUu0wsEnBNMISMLVysS8G9-qBlF4hvRr6lZhm_edRJvcr_I_kxVC3yw\.&URL=mailto%3apeter\.stiles%40wima\.edu\.au\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink">peter.stiles@wima.edu.au</span></span></a> </div>
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Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-8632362367963218792015-10-27T21:53:00.000+11:002015-10-28T15:45:49.387+11:00Powerful Words: The Key Role of Words in Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/events/events/powerful-words">Powerful Words conference</a> was held at New College on the 26th September. It was planned for chaplains and others interested in pastoral theology and care and was joint initiative of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/">CASE</a> and <a href="https://www.anglicare.org.au/">Anglicare</a>. The conference was based very much on an understanding that Christian chaplaincy is a prayerful cross-cultural
ministry that focuses on the needs of others. Chaplains meet people at
times of special need, loss and vulnerability and offer a safe place to
explore issues of meaning and belonging. The conference explored
how faith, love and hope inform pastoral relationships. The various sessions of the conference were recorded and are now available from the New College website free of charge <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">HERE</a>. Simply click on the 'podcasts' on the page and it will take you to the conference sessions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The day was structured around three key strands, five speakers and a group of volunteers who participated in a powerful verbatim based on the book of Job.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">1. Keynote Address - '<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">Our Days and God’s Years: Pastoral Care in Times of Change</a>'</span></h2>
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<a href="https://www.ridley.edu.au/about-ridley/ridley-people/faculty/rhys-bezzant/">Dr Rhys Bezzant</a> from Ri<span style="font-size: small;">dley College</span> in Melbourne opened the conference by expounding Psalm 102 and drawing implications for pastoral care. He argued that the fleeting days of human life are set in the context of
God’s timing and his power to make a difference. He offered a reflection on the
importance of individual care in the course of Christian history, and applied this by considering how to value our opportunities
to serve our neighbour in pastoral settings.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. Seminar Information</b></span></h2>
Seminar 1 -<i> '<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">A Captive Audience - Christian Ministry to people in prison'</a> </i><br />
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This first seminar was delivered by David Pettett who is the Head of Chaplaincy at Anglicare Sydney, managing the
Sydney Diocesan chaplaincies in prisons and hospitals. David reflected on his experience and the challenges of providing care in a number prisons.<br />
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Seminar 2 - <i>'<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">Chaplaincy at the Crossroads'</a> </i><br />
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Peter Ellem works in chaplaincy at Westmead Hospital and presented the second seminar and argued that suffering crosses into
people's realities as an unexpected and unwanted guest, but it brings opportunities for God to be be found in its midst. He argued that the cross tells us God is there, how he
is there, and it points to hope when everything might seem
hopeless. He suggested that chaplaincy helps people encounter God in the harsh realities
of everyday life, in the anguish of their suffering and in the public
space where private agonies are borne.<br />
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Seminar 3 - <i>'<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">Chaplains in the firing line'</a> </i><br />
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Peter Frith is an Anglican minister previously involved in parish ministry including
church planting, and churches in rural, suburban and inner city locations. In recent times he has been an Anglicare
chaplain to the mentally ill. It was in this role that he was called in at short notice to offer support to the victims of the Lindt Cafe Siege as the crisis unfolded. He shared his experience of the challenge to care in such a crisis with no previous experience in such a situation and shared how he and others experienced Christ in the chaos.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. Radio-play performance of '<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">The Job Verbatim</a>'</b></span></h2>
The radio play explored was written and produced by Kate Bradford. Kate is an Anglican Lay Minister and has served as a chaplain in
Paediatric Hospitals since 2007. The Job Verbatim was a dramatic presentation of segments of the Book of Job that allowed groups to reflect on the experience and consider how their observations of the experience had relevance for the care they offer to others. It was a powerful and creative activity that made the Scripture come to life.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. <i>Case</i> <i>Quarterly</i></b></span></h2>
As an outcome of the conference <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/">CASE</a> is publishing a special edition of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case Quarterly</i></a>. This will include papers from the conference plus additional papers from other writer.<br />
<br />Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-71918899322052752962015-08-17T19:41:00.000+10:002015-08-17T19:41:10.172+10:00The Bible's Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US">The Bible
has come a long way. In the latest issue of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case Quarterly</i></a> which is published by <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php">CASE</a> we look at the 'journey' that took place to arrive at the Bible as we know it today.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US">In the
beginning was the Word, but it took a while for the hundreds of thousands of
words in the Bible to be composed, written down, painstakingly copied,
preserved, passed around, tested, accepted, collected together, bound into book
form and translated to give us the Bibles we have available to us today.</span> </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Its use,
status, standing and influence have waxed and waned across the centuries. The
Bible was once trusted and read far more widely in Western society than it is
today. It has been a book of great significance in shaping thought, the arts,
literature, systems of government and so on. English literature and art alone
are difficult to fully appreciate and understand without knowledge of the Bible.
As Marilyn Robinson writes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Bible is the model for and subject of more art and thought than those of us who
live within its influence, consciously or unconsciously, will ever know.
Literatures are self-referential by nature, and even when references to
Scripture in contemporary fiction and poetry are no more than ornamental or
rhetorical—indeed, even when they are unintentional—they are still a natural
consequence of the persistence of a powerful literary tradition<span style="font-size: xx-small;">.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6160916#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">[1]</span></span></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But while
it is generally believed to be the most published, distributed, read, and
influential book in history, it is being increasingly sidelined—even by Christians.
Some estimates suggest that as few as 20% of Christians read the Bible
regularly.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6160916#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><sup><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">[2]</span></sup></sup></a>
</span>There are many possible reasons for the reduction in the importance of the
Bible as part of daily life, including crowded lives, competing philosophies,
and challenges from science. Some have lost faith in the Bible as a reliable
book and struggle to see it as relevant. </span></div>
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It isn't possible in a quarterly magazine but in <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_42_the_bibles_story1/">Issue 42</a> we consider a number. <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=344042101&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=cNKF&locale=en_US&srchid=617887751439803243192&srchindex=1&srchtotal=1&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A617887751439803243192%2CVSRPtargetId%3A344042101%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH">JamesPietsch</a> in his article on the relationship between critical thinking and
Christianity, addresses the importance of facing such doubts about the Bible and challenging them
head on as we persevere in the faith.</span>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One
approach to restoring confidence in the Bible is to combat the ignorance that
exists, even within the church, about the Bible: Where did it come from? Is it
genuine? Who wrote it and when? How early and reliable are the oldest copies? How
consistent is it with other sources from antiquity? Why are there so many different
versions? Is there any coherent unity to its diverse elements? This issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Case</i> aims to shed a little light on some
of these issues as it explores the Bible’s story. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Andrew Shead</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/andrew-shead">Andrew Shead</a> addresses the question of the biblical canon: How and why did various
texts come to be included in or excluded from the Bible over the centuries?
Staying with history, archaeologist Karin Sowada looks at what archaeology
can—and cannot—tell us about the people, places and events recorded in the
Bible’s pages.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Turning to
the story within the Bible’s pages, <a href="https://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/david-hohne">David Höhne</a> examines the relationship
between the Old and New Testaments. He concludes that the writers of the Bible
shared the understanding that they were writing different chapters of a single
unified metanarrative: the story of God’s love for the world he had created,
and the salvation of his lost people through the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We have also
included brief accounts of the holy books of the other two great Abrahamic
faiths—Judaism and Islam. Old Testament scholar, <a href="https://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/george-athas">George Athas</a>, explains what
constitutes the Jewish Tanakh, and how it relates to the Old Testament and
other sacred Jewish texts, such as the Talmud and Mishnah. <a href="https://www.afes.org.au/profile/samuel-green">Samuel Green</a> from ‘Engaging
with Islam’<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6160916#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">[3]</span></span></span></a>
</span>does the same for Islamic texts, explaining the origins, nature and structure
of the Qur’an, and its relationship with the Christian Bible.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Our ‘Books
and Ideas’ segment also includes a review and excerpt of <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/into-the-world-of-the-new-testament-9780567657022/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Into the World of the New Testament</span>,</a> providing Bible readers with
background knowledge of the context in which Jesus lived and the New Testament
was written.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>The excerpt examines the
different strands of religious thought around at the time of Jesus, including
the Pharisees, Sadducees and Samaritans. The segment closes with a review of a
collection of writings by previous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Case</i>
author, Edwin Judge: <a href="http://acl.asn.au/engaging-rome-and-jerusalem/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Engaging Rome and Jerusalem</span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you subscribe to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case Quarterly</i></a> you should have your copy already. If you don't you can purchase single copies <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/very_new_subscription_form/">HERE</a> or subscribe for just $55 per year. </span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">M.</span> <span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Robinson,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/books/review/the-book-of-books-what-literature-owes-the-bible.html?_r=0">‘</a></span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/books/review/the-book-of-books-what-literature-owes-the-bible.html?_r=0">The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible’</a>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i>, 22 December 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2015.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">GSI Report, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLS
2006</i>, February 2011; P. Hughes, & C. Pickering, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Milk to Meat Bible Engagement Report </i>(milktomeat.com.au, 2010); and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible Engagement among Young Australians:
Patterns and Social Drivers, </i>unpublished research report initiated by the Bible
Society and other partners.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
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</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">S. Green, ‘Engaging
with Islam’, <a href="http://engagingwithislam.org/">http://engagingwithislam.org</a>/.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
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Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-56211489450936239812015-05-28T13:01:00.000+10:002015-05-28T13:01:40.852+10:00Taking Flesh: Christology, Embodiment and the ArtsRecently we hosted the 29th annual <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/new-college-lectures-1">New College Lectures</a>. This event seeks to explore the importance and place of Christianity in today’s world. While speakers present their ideas from a Christian worldview, the lectures seek to engage people of all faiths as well as people with no faith commitment. This year our lecturer was <a href="http://www.stasstas.com/rector.html">Rev Professor Dr Trevor Hart</a>. The lectures were concerned with a consideration of the relationship of the arts to faith and worship. The theme was titled, ‘Taking Flesh: Christology, Embodiment and the Arts’. <br />
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<b>The Lecturer</b><br />
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Prof Hart is Rector of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, St Andrews (since 2013), and Honorary Professor of Divinity in the University of St Andrews where he has held posts since 1995. His life is now one of Rector and scholar. As a scholar he is interested in the contemporary reformulation of the Christian tradition and the engagement of Christian theology with other disciplines, especially philosophy, literature and the arts more broadly. <br />
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His has written many scholarly articles and book chapters and written or edited 14 books. His most recent books are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Gavin Hopps and Jeremy Begbie (eds), ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Imagination-Christian-Hope-Patterns/dp/075466676X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432773666&sr=8-1&keywords=trevor+hart+patterns+of+promise">Art, Imagination and Christian Hope: Patterns of Promise</a>’ (Farnham: Ashgate, 2012)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Between-Image-Word-Theological-Engagements/dp/1472413709/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432773752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=%E2%80%98Between+the+Image+and+the+Word%3A+Theological+Engagements+with+Imagination%2C+Language+and+Literature%E2%80%99">‘Between the Image and the Word: Theological Engagements with Imagination, Language and Literature’</a> (Farnham: Ashgate, 2013) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Good-Creation-Creativity-Artistry/dp/1602589887/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432773794&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=%E2%80%98Making+Good%3A+Creation%2C+Creativity+and+Artistry%E2%80%99">‘Making Good: Creation, Creativity and Artistry’</a> (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014) </li>
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Professor Hart also delivered the New College Lectures in 2008 with the theme ‘God and the Artist: Human creativity in theological perspective’. You can still listen to these lectures if you visit the New College website <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/2008-god-and-the-artist">HERE</a>. You can also read his article in the edition of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i> Quarterly</a> that we published after the lectures titled ‘<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_16_2008_god_creativity_and_creators/">God, creativity and creators</a>’. <br />
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<b>The Lectures</b><br />
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The first talk was titled ‘<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios">Clayey lodging’: on the predicament of being human and why matter matters</a>’. In this talk Prof Hart spoke of the ambiguity with which we understand our bodies and challenged us to remember that our humanity straddles the spheres of material and non-material creaturehood. He called on us to avoid the tendency towards dualistic thinking - of favouring mind over body.<br />
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On night two his talk was titled ‘<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios">Earthy epiphanies: the incarnation of meaning and the meaning of incarnation</a>’. This explored meaning and its relationship to and place within the arts. He traversed the struggles we have to articulate the meanings or significance that music and art have for us. His talk included the role of metaphor, the relationship of meanings to matter, the body and the mind. He concluded by briefly considering the ambiguity of meaning itself. <br />
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The third and final lecture was titled ‘<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios">Heavenly bodies: why Wagner was right about art and wrong about God</a>’. Professor Hart began by speaking of Wagner’s unorthodox theology - he had as an outcome of his radical vision for his music - that demonstrated his belief that music and the arts offered much more than mere narrative. He argued that music for Wagner was a manifestation of reality in the world NOT in the head, BUT in the heart, ‘gut’ and body. He then connected Wagner’s view of music’s potential with a discussion of James Smith’s argument that he developed in the <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/2012-imagining-the-kingdom">NCLs in 2012</a>; that is, the driving force of human existence is not the intellect, but focus or <i>telos</i> of desire or love – the ends or purpose of desire, that shape our outlook and vision of the future. <br />
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Prof Hart ended the evening by challenging the audience again as he more specifically addressed the embodied practices of Church worship. He argued that the arts have the potential to reshape our imagining and our desire. Music he reminded us has played an important role across the centuries in worship. This he contrasted with the impoverished liturgy of many churches, which he described as “a wordy and intellectual experience that fails to acknowledge the fully embodied nature of worship”. The church he argued should be a total aesthetic encounter that engages us at many levels – mind, heart, soul, senses, body and imagination. <br />
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The lectures were a stimulating event that led to vigorous discussion and many questions – surely a sign of a good lecture! They certainly raised some questions for me. I commented in my conclusion to the lectures that while he had helpfully (and deliberately) centred very much on worship within the church, what Professor Hart had said surely implications for the worship that is seen in all of life? That is, worship of God is part of all of life, not just what we do in church on Sundays. How do we reconcile these excellent lectures with Paul’s injunction? Professor Hart touched on this near the end of his 3rd talk; this is an exploration for the future. The challenge of Romans 12 must be heeded. How can this be reconciled with the lectures given and the corrective Prof Hart offered to engage the complete embodied experiences of believers in worship, as part of the renewing of minds?<br />
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<i>Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.</i> (Rom 12:1-2)<br />
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Finally, the lectures left me wondering about the role that Christian community plays. That is, the church as the body of believers, living, serving, worshipping, loving and growing together – not so much what we do on Sundays, but what we do in between Sundays.<br />
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The lectures were a marvellous exploration of the topic and can be found as MP3 files on our website <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios">HERE</a>. The audience gathered over three nights was stimulated and grateful for an outstanding lecture series. Enjoy them online!<br />
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Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-77087854845633209572015-05-06T12:19:00.000+10:002015-05-06T12:19:15.078+10:0021st Century Apologetics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do we need new apologetics for the 21st Century? For many Christians, apologetics feels like an approach suited to an earlier century. A time when people in western nations had at least some biblical knowledge, and accepted the Bible as a book capable of providing evidence and opening up debate. But we can no longer presume an accepted view of the trustworthiness of the Bible. Today if you begin to ‘give an answer (for the) reason for the hope that you have’ (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=NIV">1 Peter 3:15</a>) by quoting the Bible, it might just lead to the immediate query, ‘but where’s your evidence’? However, the need to give answers is still the same, and so are the deep needs of people. We must provide answers to questions about the Bible and Christianity.<br />
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Part of the challenge for Christians is that while some of the questions asked are timeless (e.g. why is there suffering, how can a good God allow such and such?), many questions spring from developments that have occurred since the biblical texts were written. For example, the theory of evolution, the ability to enable conception, medical manipulation of life, or being able to identify deformities within the womb. There is always the potential for new theories, discoveries, or ideologies to conflict with (or appear to conflict with) established Christian understandings of the Bible and theology.<br />
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The intellectual context in which Christians strive to stand firm and hold out the word of life is constantly changing. This means that at least some of the stumbling blocks to Christian faith will be different now to those of previous centuries. For example, two significant and relatively recent objections to Christianity are the Bible’s teaching on women and homosexuality. Neither were hotly contested issues once, and there was broader universal acceptance of the Bible’s teaching on each. It seemed once, that broader culture and Christianity aligned on these issues. But today, as people cry ‘but I don’t care what the Bible says’, it has become imperative for Christians to be able to give an answer for their counter-cultural stances that are contested.<br />
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Another critical front for Christian apologetics is how we respond to the shameful failures of the church as well as broader society in relation to child abuse. The appalling revelation of child abuse within Christian as well as secular institutions, has led some to reject Christianity. Sadly, there is nothing we can do to change what has happened, and it can be hard for Christians to know what to say in the awkward space between shame and defence. In the latest edition of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i> Magazine</a> Helen Miller offers her insights into child abuse as a member of the Anglican Working Group appointed to respond to the <a href="http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse</a>.<br />
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Also addressed in <i>Case</i> Magazine is the ‘marketplace’ of ideas and religions that offer answers of one kind or another to the challenges of our increasingly diverse cultural landscape of our cities. Recent social research shows an increase in people referring to themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’. The challenge here is not lack of evidence, but openness to multiple forms of spirituality and concomitant rejection of Christianity’s claims to uniqueness. <a href="http://www.morlingcollege.com/our-team/profile/rev-dr-ross-clifford-am">Ross Clifford</a> and Philip Johnson in this issue have explored different approaches to connecting with these seekers after spirituality, and share these with us here.<br />
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Unlike these developments, the perception that science conflicts with Christianity is not new, and excellent Christian scientists have been showing why this perception is unjustified for as long as the accusations have been made. However the voices of those who seek to use ‘science’ to undermine the credibility of Christianity are growing louder not quieter. In <i>Case</i> #42 <a href="http://www.ctc.edu.au/Teaching-Staff/Lecturers/Christopher-Mulherin">Chris Mulherin</a> argues for the urgent need to continue to provide answers in this area.<br />
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There is also a need to reconsider how we do apologetics. Chris Swann deals with suspicions about an ‘apologia’ that drifts away from biblical defence. His argument is that the Bible should shape our apologetics and centre them on Christ in content, manner and method.<br />
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Andrew Laird and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kel_Richards">Kel Richards</a> also offer excellent pieces that show that all can do apologetics. Kel Richards commends us to be good listeners who can are then led to see ‘iceberg tips’ that extend to deeper conversations, prayer and changed lives. Andrew Laird reminds us of the need for relationships of love with our friends and contacts, and the way that a simple meal and hospitality can allow relationships to grow and the gospel to be shared.<br />
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Our latest issue is rounded out with two interesting reviews. Tess Holgate provides an insightful review of Annabel Crabb’s '<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/annabel-crabb/the-wife-drought-9780857984265.aspx">The Wife Drought</a>' that offers a different angle on gender stereotypes. Finally, Dani Scarratt reviews John Dickson’s new book '<a href="http://www.zondervan.com/a-doubter-s-guide-to-the-bible">A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible</a>' that will end up on many people’s pile of ‘must read’ books. If you subscribe to <i>Case</i> you should have received issue 42. If not, you can still read one of the articles plus a review on our website (<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">HERE</a>) for free or subscribe for as little as $20 per year for four issues <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">HERE</a>. Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-55531076127399444372015-02-04T14:16:00.000+11:002015-02-04T14:16:02.657+11:00Welcoming the Stranger: The relationship of terrorism, immigration & hospitalityA Post by Edwina Hine<br />
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It is not surprising as the threat from ISIS (Islamic State) has stepped up over the last few months in the Middle East (particularly in Syria and Iraq), but now we've seen their influence played out in Sydney and Paris. Just before Christmas the Archbishop of Sydney called on our our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott to increase refugee numbers into Australia. (More details can be found <a href="http://sydneyanglicans.net/news/archbishop-calls-for-increased-refugee-intake" target="_blank">here</a>). <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JPtwxZTQYfU/VBZhyxCIyHI/AAAAAAAAAd4/ZVxpTTWKfc4/s1600/CASE38-Magazinecover%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JPtwxZTQYfU/VBZhyxCIyHI/AAAAAAAAAd4/ZVxpTTWKfc4/s1600/CASE38-Magazinecover%2B2.jpg" /></a>As we see terror threats, it is easy to question immigration. But of course, immigration isn't the issue, the evil acts of individuals and small groups of radicalized people are the problem. As well, the Bible teaches that we are to welcome the stranger and the dispossessed.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_38_2014_home/"><i>Case</i> #38</a> we considered the broad theme of 'Home'. I have found some of the articles in this edition to be useful as I have reflected on the issues surrounding refugees and the humanitarian response of Christians in situations comparable to that which is currently evident in the Middle East. In particular I found Erin Goheen Glanvilles article entitled "<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE38-Glanville.pdf">Beyond Debt and Economy: Reclaiming prophetic hospitality for Refugees</a> " very interesting. The article examines 'hospitality' in a biblical context, our understanding of the word in view of today's culture, and illustrates the need for a renewed understanding of the practice for Christians today. <br />
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The author reminds us a Christian understanding of 'welcoming the stranger' goes beyond our codified responsibilities that are laid out in treaties such as the UN Refugee Convention. The article reminds us of the passage in Hebrews 13.1,2 <br />
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(1) Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. (2) Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.</blockquote>
It reminds us that hospitality was to be the mark of the early Christian Church as well as the modern Church. Hospitality is not just a token optional extra, it is a core identity marker. For members of the church, hospitality should be a way in which they we are contrasted with the surrounding community. Hospitality is not to be shown just to powerful persons and visitors to create beneficial networks, we should be focused on hosting and helping those who do not have the means to show kindness in return.<br />
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For today's Church it could become easy to become anxious that the large numbers of refugees may overwhelm our community's resources and interrupt our valued way of life. However, the biblical understanding of hospitality should motivate Christians to be self-sacrificial in their welcome of strangers and be a stark contrast to calls for a nations limits to generosity, or the imposition of strict definitions of 'deserving' refugees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uF1GaWhDEzI/VBZePK20_gI/AAAAAAAAAdw/aNdRxcSkzGk/s1600/iraqrefugees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uF1GaWhDEzI/VBZePK20_gI/AAAAAAAAAdw/aNdRxcSkzGk/s1600/iraqrefugees.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iraqi Refugees (Image courtesy of SydneyAnglicans.net)</td></tr>
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The Goheen article certainly does not claim that there are easy answers to successfully assisting the many displaced and persecuted persons that result from horrific acts of terrorism and oppression. However the article does prompt the reader to assess their own notions of hospitality and the role that Christians will play, that might perhaps counter the sense of hopelessness that prevails when considering this most challenging issue. <br />
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The article referred to in this blog post is available as a free download from the <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE38-Glanville.pdf">CASE Website</a>. CASE Associates receive <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i> magazine</a> 4 times per year as part of their benefits. For blog followers who are yet to be CASE Associates you can sign up <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">HERE</a> or order a single copy <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/back_issue_purchase/">HERE</a>. <br />
<a href="mailto:case%40newcollege.unsw.edu.au">Send CASE an email</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-39497921943038987872014-12-23T14:03:00.000+11:002014-12-23T14:03:08.887+11:00Long Shadows: Seeking Common Ground on Aboriginal Rights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The latest edition of <i>Case</i> Magazine considers the rights and wrongs of Aboriginal policy reform in Australia. Talk about the need to understand Indigenous issues is common, but action that makes a difference is harder to find. This has been brought to our attention in varied ways in recent times. Noel Pearson has pointed out in his significant <a href="http://www.quarterlyessay.com/issue/rightful-place-race-recognition-and-more-complete-commonwealth">Quarterly Essay</a>, that there has been a litany of promises, tears and disappointments. He quotes the lament of Aboriginal leader and activist <a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2008/december/1268179150/galarrwuy-yunupingu/tradition-truth-tomorrow">Galarrwuy Yunupingu</a> who, when he looks back on ‘a lifetime of effort’ sees ‘that we have not moved very far’ (p11). Pearson and Yunupingu both identity deeply with those who faced the invasion of white explorers; ancient tribes and nations who were slaughtered or had rights and freedom removed. Pearson seeks to challenge us to identify the wrongs and make things right by supporting constitutional recognition of Aboriginal Australians. He also wants us to stand with those who still yearn for true inclusion and the honouring of their ancestors. Pearson is bravely looking for common ground! This should, in Pearson’s plea, recognise four key grievances of Indigenous people: identity, territorial lands, language and culture.<br />
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There have been many well-intentioned actions, apologies and programs in the past. But true economic independence for Indigenous Australians, control of their lives and their children’s futures, equality of health and education, and life expectancy have not been achieved. There is a despondency within the Indigenous community, born of failure to progress discussions of a treaty and constitutional recognition. While there have been good intentions with some political leaders, there has not been sufficient progress. Yunupingu goes further to suggest that even when some leaders in the past have talked of failures and regrets, their tears are often for personal failures rather than the injustice faced by Indigenous Australians. The churches have been connected in various ways to the injustices of Indigenous people. Collectively, there is a need by the church to consider its actions, the depth of collective regret, and the responsibility to help right wrongs.<br />
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When we conceived this issue of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">Case</a>, we were determined to include the voice of someone who is living the relationship between Aboriginality and Christianity, with all its complexity. To that end, we have included an interview with <a href="http://www.sydneyoralhistories.com.au/belief/ray-minniecon/">Pastor Ray Minniecon</a>, who discusses Aboriginal spirituality and the challenges he faces being both Aboriginal and Christian at this point in Australian history. Ray’s comments reflect the heart of an Indigenous man of Christian faith who cries out for his people, and like Pearson and Yunupingu, wants to see true healing. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6bENDgLw_Cw/VJjaur74J1I/AAAAAAAAJPM/2Yu4LLOQgI0/s1600/sendbinaryevents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6bENDgLw_Cw/VJjaur74J1I/AAAAAAAAJPM/2Yu4LLOQgI0/s1600/sendbinaryevents.jpg" height="220" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Above:</b> Pastor Ray Minniecon</td></tr>
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Part of the struggle Aboriginal people face when considering Christianity stems from the chequered history of the interaction of Aborigines and Christianity over the past 200 years. Many of the episodes in this history are appalling, and for these there should be genuine shame. Others involve well-meaning but, with hindsight, deeply misguided attempts to ‘civilise’ or ‘protect’ without concern for the dignity, rights and culture of arguably the world’s oldest people. As well, at times, the church has been unfairly blamed for the action of governments. As Australians, we all share the blame. But there are also many stories of positive action by Christians and churches and significant interactions between Christian missions and Aboriginal people. <a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/a-brutally-honest-book-about-christians-and-aborigines-in-australia">Dr John Harris</a> is an expert on this history—both the good and the bad—and provides an insightful account of the institutionalisation of Aboriginal children and the role of Christians in this. Looking back further, Dr Peter Carolane writes of Victorian missionary, John Bulmer, who worked to both bring the gospel to the Aborigines of Lake Tyers and advocate for Aboriginal rights from the 1860s to the early 1900s.<br />
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Another barrier between Aboriginal people and Christianity, as Pastor Ray Minniecon points out, is the gap between the message of Christianity and the complicity of Western churches in the wrongs Aborigines have suffered, including first and foremost, the dispossession of their land. This is an issue that must be addressed both for the sake of non-indigenous conscience and of removing this stumbling block to the gospel of hope for Aborigines:<br />
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Any conversation of this type must begin with genuine apology. Chris Swann helpfully explicates the nature of biblical apology. As well as sorrow and repentance, this includes accepting responsibility for the wrongs done, and repentantly changing behaviour as part of genuine apology. Christians are committed to ‘apologising in such a way as to seek to rebuild and restore the relationships that have been damaged or broken by this wrongdoing’. But in the face of such a complex situation, what can be done? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Adam_%28minister%29">Peter Adam</a> addresses this question in his challenge to hear and act to resolve the Aboriginal cry for justice—a challenge that springs from the Bible, and in which it is fitting that Christians take the lead.<br />
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Subscribers to <i><a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">Case</a></i> should have received the magazine recently. If you'd like to read more on this topic you can obtain a single copy from <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php">CASE</a>. You can place an order online <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">HERE</a>.<br />
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We hope that you find our contribution to this important issue helpful. It will be confronting! As Peter Adam reminds us, ‘old sins cast long shadows’. But we earnestly pray for deep regret and identification with a people who have faced great wrongs, and the wisdom and courage to respond in appropriate ways. <br />
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1. Noel Pearson, ‘<a href="http://www.quarterlyessay.com/issue/rightful-place-race-recognition-and-more-complete-commonwealth">A Rightful Place: Race, recognition and a more complete commonwealth</a>’, Quarterly Essay, 55, 2014.<br />
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2. Galarrwuy Yunupingu, ‘<a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2008/december/1268179150/galarrwuy-yunupingu/tradition-truth-tomorrow">Tradition, Truth & Tomorrow</a>’, The Monthly, 41, 2008 (pp32-40).Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-38592740359521934412014-10-10T21:42:00.000+11:002014-10-10T21:42:12.387+11:00Science & Religion: Myths, errors and new possibilitiesOne common view of science and religion is that they are in direct competition with each other, offering incompatible explanations for the same phenomena. Hence, conflict between science and religion is seen as inevitable. Projecting this idea back in time, the whole of Western history can be understood as a protracted battle between science and religion. Science seems now to be winning that battle, even though there remain significant pockets of religious resistance.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cAcyNrfIvdA/VCPzfZilULI/AAAAAAAAJI4/LhFyv26vH7I/s1600/EARTH_Logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cAcyNrfIvdA/VCPzfZilULI/AAAAAAAAJI4/LhFyv26vH7I/s1600/EARTH_Logo.JPG" height="261" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Above:</b> Image courtesy of Wiki Commons</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In recent years, historians of science have attacked this idea of a perennial conflict between science and religion, demonstrating the numerous ways in which, over the course of history, science has been supported by Christian ideas and assumptions. These positive relations came about partly because the boundaries of science and religion were understood quite differently in the past. In the 2014 New College lectures Professor Peter Harrison discussed how these boundaries shifted across the centuries, and the way this offers insights into science-religion relations in the present.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kyQi4xO1JF8/VCPyVh9nFCI/AAAAAAAAJIo/bO73TAQgg24/s1600/peter-harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kyQi4xO1JF8/VCPyVh9nFCI/AAAAAAAAJIo/bO73TAQgg24/s1600/peter-harrison.jpg" height="200" width="186" /></a></div>
In the first lecture Prof Harrison began by looking at how we have come to understand the world in terms of the distinct categories “science” and “religion”. He explored how we came to separate the domain of material facts from the realm of moral and religious values. <br />
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He spent some time unpacking how the use of the Latin word ‘religio’ in pre-modern times, was not the same as the later English translation ‘religion’. Rather than signifying specific beliefs and practices, it was seen as a form of worship. He cited varied sources including Augustine, who described ‘true’ religion as involving a form of inner worship rightly directed at God. Early Christians he stressed saw ‘religio’ as a form of worship not just propositional content to be claimed and accepted.<br />
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In the second lecture he outlined how modern science was invented. He argued that for centuries Natural Philosophy like Theology was also seen as an inner quality, not just knowledge and propositions. Aquinas building on Aristotle’s teaching, argued that science too was an inner ‘habit’, an intellectual virtue that was a gift from God. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_U7-s3lin-o/VCPyowv3y4I/AAAAAAAAJIw/1-OtoCwc2ro/s1600/St%2BThomas%2BAquinas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_U7-s3lin-o/VCPyowv3y4I/AAAAAAAAJIw/1-OtoCwc2ro/s1600/St%2BThomas%2BAquinas.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a></div>
But while in the pre-modern period Christianity and Natural Philosophy were seen as rival spiritual practices, by the 19th Century we were to see Religion and Science replacing Theology & Natural Philosophy, and the unfolding of a fierce conflict between what were now seen as two incompatible sets of beliefs.<br />
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In the final lecture on night three, Professor Harrison considered how the myth of conflict between Science and Religion developed and offered an insight into the narrative of the two contending powers. He also considered the work of New Atheists and their failure to understand how and why faith and reason, or religion and science can be held in relationship to one another.<br />
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For my part, this has been an extremely engaging series of three wonderful lectures. If you would like to listen to all three lectures visit the New College website for the lectures and a copy of his powerpoint presentation that you will need while listening to them.<br />
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You will find Lectures 1 and 3 on our website as well as the powerpoint presentations for all three lectures <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/media-events">HERE</a><br />
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We are unable to provide the second lecture as the audio file has been corrupted.Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-29297017188214305952014-09-06T10:22:00.001+10:002014-09-06T10:22:45.861+10:00Exploring the Territories of Science and Religion - 2014 New College LecturesHave you ever been asked by someone "How can you reconcile your faith in God with what science has proven?" Have you doubted what you believe because of science? Has a child asked a question that challenges your ability to speak about the relationship between science and religion, faith and reason? If so, don't miss the chance to hear <a href="http://www.ched.uq.edu.au/peter-harrison">Professor Peter Harrison</a> speak on the theme <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/new-college-lectures-1">'Exploring the frontiers of science and religion'</a> this week (9-11 September 2014) at <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/">New College</a> at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. If you're not living close then keep an eye out for the talks online after the lectures.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v77f28rPd3c/VApQfVGoIiI/AAAAAAAAJDM/ttiLdamzLng/s1600/Tiffany_Education_(center).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v77f28rPd3c/VApQfVGoIiI/AAAAAAAAJDM/ttiLdamzLng/s1600/Tiffany_Education_(center).JPG" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Overview</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Some see science and religion as in direct
competition with one another, offering incompatible explanations for the same
phenomena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conflict is seen as
inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Projecting this idea back in
time, the whole of Western history can be understood as a protracted battle
between science and religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Science is
now winning the battle, in spite of minor religious resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But historians of science have demolished this
idea of a perennial conflict between science and religion, instead demonstrating
how science has been supported by Christian ideas and assumptions. In part, this reflects a different
understanding of the boundaries of science and religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/new-college-lectures-1">2014 New College Lectures</a> will focus on the
changing boundaries of science and religion, and consider how these positive
interactions of the past, offer insights into science-religion relations in the
present.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><b>Lecture 1: Is Christianity a Religion? </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>(9th September, 7.30pm)</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The first Christians did not consider
themselves to be subscribers to a religion in the modern sense, but rather as
part of a ‘new race’ or ‘way of life’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This lecture offers an account of the emergence of the modern idea of
religion—understood less in terms of a way of life, and more in terms of
explicit beliefs—in the seventeenth century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This idea of religion plays a key role in modern understandings of the
relationship between science and religion.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Lecture 2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Invention of Modern Science (10th September, 7.30pm)</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Close examination of the history of ‘scientific’
endeavours reveals that the study of nature, up until the nineteenth century,
was vitally concerned with moral and religious questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only in the nineteenth century were theology
and morality definitively excluded from the sphere of science.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This nineteenth-century invention of modern
science fixed the possibilities for future relationships between science and
religion.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjwSw-oBSFk/VApThm-0DcI/AAAAAAAAJDk/AzmLHf8NmJg/s1600/chromosome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjwSw-oBSFk/VApThm-0DcI/AAAAAAAAJDk/AzmLHf8NmJg/s1600/chromosome.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Above:</b> Image of Chromosones (Wiki Commons)</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Lecture 3:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Relating Science and Religion (11th September, 7.30pm)</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This final lecture considers the ongoing
legacy of these two ideas, ‘religion’ and ‘science’, suggesting that some of
the problematic aspects of their present relationship arise out of the history
of the ideas themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It asks, in
particular, whether the idea ‘religion’ is a helpful one.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Speaker:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>Peter
Harrison</b> BSc, BA (Hons), PhD (Qld), MA (Yale), MA, DLitt (Oxford),
FAHA. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYmSLH5-Eus/VApQJ7EQvCI/AAAAAAAAJDE/JsmTZU1zTys/s1600/peter-harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYmSLH5-Eus/VApQJ7EQvCI/AAAAAAAAJDE/JsmTZU1zTys/s1600/peter-harrison.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Peter Harrison was
educated at the University of Queensland and Yale University. In 2011 he moved
back to Queensland from the University of Oxford where he was the Idreos
Professor of Science and Religion. At Oxford he was a member of the Faculties
of Theology and History, a Fellow of Harris Manchester College, and Director of
the Ian Ramsey Centre where he continues to hold a Senior Research Fellowship.
He has published extensively in the area of cultural and intellectual history
with a focus on the philosophical, scientific and religious thought of the
early modern period. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Oxford, Yale, and
Princeton, is a founding member of the International Society for Science and
Religion, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. In 2011 he
delivered the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/humanities-soc-sci/news-events/lectures/gifford-lectures">Gifford Lectures</a> at the University of Edinburgh.
</span></div>
Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-6566114800328061692014-08-27T19:50:00.000+10:002014-08-27T19:50:45.995+10:00Marriage Reconsidered<style>@font-face {
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I was born in the 1950s and have lived through extraordinary
social, cultural and technological change. As a 6 year old there was just one
television in my street, a single phone, about four cars and two parent
families in every house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For mothers work was usually 'home duties' (as defined at the time). Our news came from newspapers and radio (the internet
was not to arrive for 40 more years). There was increasing cultural diversity, but of course the White Australia Policy
ensured that few immigrants were Asian. Nuclear war was a constant threat and
there were fears of ‘Reds under the beds’. Religious tensions were mainly between
Protestants and Catholics, with daily fights in my school playground.<br />
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Much has happened since then, and many would suggest the
progress has been good. Technology has changed the way we communicate,
religious and racial tolerance is promoted (at least, officially), and
immigration patterns have changed dramatically. Marriage and family mores have
also changed and with them, the very structure of society. Australians now find
normal and acceptable, things that during my childhood would have been
unthinkable: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">de facto </i>relationships,
IVF, surrogacy, stay-at-home dads, same-sex relationships, prenuptial
agreements, multiple remarriages. Divorce was rare in the the 1950s, seen as a terrible and
shameful thing, and was announced in the papers (in full detail). Unwed teenage girls
disappeared when pregnant, and the fathers of their children often ended up in
prison convicted of ‘carnal knowledge’. Abortion was illegal, and rarely
mentioned except in discreet conversations or gossip.<br />
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It is hardly surprising that some have called for marriage to be reconsidered. But should it be? Many Australians are clearly doing so. Laws relating to relationships
and family have undergone significant changes to keep up with the changes
society has made ahead of them. While writing this introduction, there have
been calls for changes in surrogacy laws to cope with the most recent challenge:
the birth of twins to a surrogate mother. One twin, born with Down syndrome, seems
to have been unwanted and the transaction between adults about the two young
lives has gone wrong. The latest issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Case</i>
magazine grapples with some of the complexities around this topic as society reconsiders what marriage is and might be, and the many issues
that arise as a result.<br />
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We haven't been able to cover every aspect of the discussion, but we've tried to cover a number of issues. Social researcher <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Mackay_%28social_researcher%29">Hugh Mackay</a> helpfully examines changes in
attitudes and practices regarding marriage and family. He finds that while
marriage was once the only option for those wanting to start a new family, people
now prefer more flexible arrangements. Even those who do marry no longer see
marriage as an inviolable institution, but something you stay in only as long
as it’s working well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Phillips
extends this by examining the current status of civil unions in Australia and
the implications of this legislation for traditional marriage.<br />
<br />
Yet another way in which marriage has changed over recent
decades relates to increasing globalisation. In 1998, 52% of all marriages in
Australia were between people from different birthplace groups (see Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Family Formation: Cultural diversity in
marriages’. 4102.0, Australian Social Trends<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> 2000) and
more recent figures show 87% have the same religion (Australian
Bureau of Statistics, ‘Couples in Australia’. 4102.0 - Australian Social Trends<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> 2009. Canberra). My co-editor Dani Scarratt looks at one aspect of these changes, the phenomenon of intermarriage, and particularly at the
experiences of Christian couples who marry across a cultural divide.</div>
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It needs to be asked whether, given these changes, Christians
should continue to insist on a biblical view of marriage, for better or worse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or should we reconsider whether the traditional
requirements for Christian marriage should be adapted to this new social order
Australians find themselves in? Tim Adeney and Stuart Heath look at what the
Bible says and argue that when it comes to the basic structure of marriage,
Christians should stand firm.<br />
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The remaining two articles look back to marriage from the
past, and project forward to the future of marriage respectively. David
Sandifer delves into the oft-mocked Victorian era of ‘prudery’ and innocence to
find what drives the stereotype, and asks if we can learn anything from the
Victorians about good marriages.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdtRrv1oWXE/U_0_EVp4pSI/AAAAAAAAJAk/sgwErGystAY/s1600/divergent_hq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdtRrv1oWXE/U_0_EVp4pSI/AAAAAAAAJAk/sgwErGystAY/s1600/divergent_hq.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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Changing gear, Jenny Kemp takes us into the immensely
popular world of young adult dystopian fiction, to find out what such titles as
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Book-1/dp/0439023521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409105552&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Hunger+Games"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hunger Games</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divergent-Complete-Box-Veronica-Roth/dp/0062278789/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409105495&sr=1-5"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Divergent</i></a> are telling its readers about
love, romance and marriage.</div>
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Our hope in bringing these varied articles together is that they
will provide multiple lenses for reconsidering marriage and help us to understand
why most Christians continue to argue for a biblical view of this God-given relationship
between a man and a woman.<br />
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As always we provide one of the articles free to readers of this blog (<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">HERE</a>). You can subscribe to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a> if you would like to receive our quarterly publication, including this latest issue on marriage.<br />
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Subscribers to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a>
should now have this issue. Individuals can subscribe to receive four
issues per year (in hard or soft copy) for as little as $20 AUD per
annum. Institutions can subscribe for $120 per annum (there is a special
rate for schools and churches). You can also purchase single issues
online. Explore all the options <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">HERE</a>. </div>
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Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-54281456159433259442014-05-11T22:17:00.002+10:002014-05-11T22:17:39.470+10:00'Home'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HlSvZdsBrkQ/U29i3S63sFI/AAAAAAAAI1k/DBBiSbp1jYc/s1600/CASE38-HR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HlSvZdsBrkQ/U29i3S63sFI/AAAAAAAAI1k/DBBiSbp1jYc/s1600/CASE38-HR.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
What do we mean when we use the word ‘home’? Often we seem to mean dwelling or place, but surely a home is much more. My wife and I sold our house recently and said to friends a number of times ‘we sold our home’. But did we? Surely our home was more than the bricks and mortar and the land on which they stood. We are now living in a small apartment at New College before moving to another house. It is nothing like our old house, and yet it feels like ‘home’. We’re happy being together with a small smattering of our possessions.
What makes this small apartment feel like home? Surely, in large part, that my wife and I are together in this place. But what if you are the sole occupant of your residence? Is it still home? Can a person living alone be at home? Of course! So home must be more than just a dwelling or cohabitation.<br />
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We also use the word ‘home’ to speak of our nation or ‘land’. For Indigenous Australians connection with the land is something that leads them to speak of ‘home country’, a place associated with continuous occupation by their ancestors. Such places are intertwined with shared history and stories. Newcomers to any country can take time to feel at home, and immigrants can long for landscapes lost. Travellers returning to their place of birth also speak of going home and mean more than just a place. Rather ‘home’ means nation, cultural identity, and connection with race and ethnicity. Separation from one’s nation can cause alienation and a sense of loss.<br />
<br />
The Israelites experienced what it meant to be aliens and strangers at the hands of the Assyrians. The Psalmist wrote of their experiences:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept<br />
when we remembered Zion.<br />
There on the poplars<br />
we hung our harps,<br />
for there our captors asked us for songs,<br />
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;<br />
they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’<br />
How can we sing the songs of the Lord<br />
while in a foreign land? (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+137&version=NIV">Psalm 137:1-4</a>)</blockquote>
<br />
The longing of the Israelites is similar to the longing we have, to be in a place where we can sing our own ‘songs of joy’ with those we love. But more than this, the foundation of this longing for home is rooted in our relationship to God. True ‘home’, as God planned it, is a place of opportunity for fellowship with him, and service that brings glory to him. It is also a place where we can know love, peace, kindness and grace, and in turn understand the need to share this with others.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BPsi1poJM8E/U29nZ0lbGwI/AAAAAAAAI1w/cqIhe2HPwhQ/s1600/11ab71a88da08967f446d110.L._V192662807_SL290_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BPsi1poJM8E/U29nZ0lbGwI/AAAAAAAAI1w/cqIhe2HPwhQ/s1600/11ab71a88da08967f446d110.L._V192662807_SL290_.jpg" height="200" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Graeme Goldsworthy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This idea of longing for home is a key theme in the latest issue of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a> magazine published by <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/">CASE</a>. There are a number of essays that explore the theme. One piece by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Goldsworthy">Graeme Goldsworthy</a> traces ‘home’ from Eden, through the wanderings of exile, to the New Jerusalem, an eternal home unlike the transient and decaying dwellings of our world.<br />
<br />
Alison Payne explores the language of homesickness. This is a sense of disconnection, ‘rootlessness’, loss of shared cultural understanding, and a longing for common stories that bind us together. An echo of Eden lost, which one day will be restored.
This longing may account for the distorted ideas of home we find around us—if it could just be bigger, have polished floors, a pool—maybe then we would be satisfied.<br />
<br />
In another essay Gordon Menzies and Susan Thorp remind us, a house can become an idol rather than a foretaste of heaven. And at the other end of the spectrum, Michelle Waterford explains that the Australian housing crisis means that finding a place to live is an increasing problem for many people,
Internationally, we also see thousands forced from their homes due to persecution, war, and natural disaster. Those of us who live in safety and sufficiency have the opportunity to show hospitality to those in need.<br />
<br />
Finally, Erin Goheen Glanville examines the metaphor of ‘hospitality’ and calls for a refreshed understanding of the concept. Christians are to show hospitality to refugees. That is, as strangers we are to help strangers.<br />
<br />
The Bible reminds us that while we can experience ‘home’ in this life, ultimately our true home is a heavenly one. In this life we may experience a sense of belonging in nations, places and homes—though many are denied even this—but our true ‘citizenship’ is in heaven (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Phil+3%3A20&version=NIV">Phil 3:20</a>). One day we will be fellow citizens with God’s people in his heavenly household with Christ as the cornerstone (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph+2%3A19-22&version=NIV">Eph 2:19-22</a>). We will dwell together, bound by a love founded on and in Christ. This is an experience of belonging that passes understanding and can never be realised in our attempts to capture some sense of what it means to be at ‘home’ on earth.<br />
<br />
Subscribers to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a> should now have this issue. Individuals can subscribe to receive four issues per year (in hard or soft copy) for as little as $20 AUD per annum. Institutions can subscribe for $120 per annum (there is a special rate for schools and churches). You can also purchase single issues online. Explore all the options <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">HERE</a>. Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-71599165677511775972014-04-28T15:28:00.000+10:002014-04-28T15:28:14.530+10:00Yes is the new Maybe<b>A Post by Ben Gooley </b><br />
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<br />
Two team members arrived at our meeting with a pizza in each hand. I asked where the food came from and they explained that the event they’d just come from had unwisely catered based on the number of Facebook RSVPs.<br />
<br />
“But, you know, ‘yes’ is the new ‘maybe’ and ‘maybe’ is the new ‘no’, so we all ate and there was still a whole pizza left over for each person who actually came.”<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7zZc5DcRLfs/U1ioHcGrn3I/AAAAAAAAAb0/3hcch5pTle4/s1600/facebook.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7zZc5DcRLfs/U1ioHcGrn3I/AAAAAAAAAb0/3hcch5pTle4/s1600/facebook.png" height="224" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
To what extent is this shift a reality, and what are we to make of the shift in meaning for the RSVP?<br />
<br />
Late last year, Henry Alford mused on the issue in The New York Times:<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/fashion/how-the-internet-has-changed-the-rsvp.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&" target="_blank"> How the Internet has Changed the R.S.V.P</a>., in a piece that was careful to scatter blame liberally but only lightly. Alford acknowledged the reality of the shift, and its unfortunate nature, but largely saw it as an inevitable consequence of the transition to the ease of the electronic medium for invitations. Facebook itself has perhaps recognised the problem, now using ‘join’ for those wanting to indicate a positive response to an event invitation. Christians are far from immune from this societal drift. <br />
<br />
What might a Christian response be? Jesus told his disciples <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matt 5:37 ESV). </blockquote>
James expands slightly on this when he writes <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12 ESV)</blockquote>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4k5dt02ublQ/U1ipPydmybI/AAAAAAAAAb8/G6yGKWF8wnc/s1600/yes+no.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4k5dt02ublQ/U1ipPydmybI/AAAAAAAAAb8/G6yGKWF8wnc/s1600/yes+no.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>That seems pretty straightforward, except that I suspect many of those who use ‘yes’ to mean ‘maybe’ and ‘maybe’ to mean ‘no’, do so in an attempt to be gracious to those inviting them. Rather than appear negative by actively and publically declining an event without their reason being clear, indicating ‘maybe’ offers a way to try to show some level of support without committing to actually making the event. This is a potentially fraught approach, but does offer some scope for giving a public response which can be followed up privately with more detail.<br />
<br />
Similarly, joining a large, anonymous event without actually following through by attendance may not have particular negative relational consequences and is perhaps justifiable in certain contexts. However, responding ‘yes’, or joining an event for which your response has relational and planning implications for the event organiser, but then not attending, seems to be a fundamental breach of trust. This would appear to fall foul of the principle behind the texts above.<br />
<br />
The Christian should be one whose word can be trusted, and whose pledge is solid. Christians are those who have staked their life on the promises of the One they deem faithful and so godliness is reflected in their own faithfulness to their commitments. While there will remain times when circumstances overtake a genuine commitment – illness and honest misadventure – the Christian showing the fruit of the Spirit will exhibit faithfulness among their works (Gal 5:22).<br />
<br />
There may be legitimate contexts in which ‘maybe’ can be used in place of ‘decline’ and where ‘join’ can be used in place of ‘maybe’. But the Christian ought to take care that their integrity is maintained. Paul’s words to Titus still ring true:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” (Titus 2:7-8 ESV).</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-17832049356115652642014-02-26T10:18:00.000+11:002014-03-03T09:42:16.269+11:00Taking the time to be a FatherPost by Edwina Hine<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o7FsPII2xEQ/Uw0qi4USCeI/AAAAAAAAAbI/vduLzO-Xyc4/s1600/12_case_2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o7FsPII2xEQ/Uw0qi4USCeI/AAAAAAAAAbI/vduLzO-Xyc4/s1600/12_case_2007.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a>Lately, I found the following article (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/05/german-vice-chancellor-sigmar-gabriel-time-off-dad" target="_blank">German vice-chancellor takes time off to be a dad</a>, The Guardian) very interesting. As I was reading it, I was reminded of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_12_2007_family_foundations/">Case Magazine #12</a> with the theme 'Family Foundations: What’s important for marriage, parenthood and family life.' <br />
<br />
In Case Magazine #12 Professor Trevor Cairney writes about families, and in particular <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/03_pdfs/cairney-the-role-of-fathers.pdf">The Role of Fathers: Aligning biblical wisdom and research</a>.
It is an in-depth look at fatherhood and explores many issues that
affect parents particularly dads. In the essay he sets out with two central aims.
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">To encourage fathers (and
mothers) "...to develop an understanding of what God expects of fathers as men
of God; and, second, to encourage further discussion relating to how we
can work at reshaping our lives so that those of us who are fathers
spend time with our families, loving them, teaching them, instructing
them in God’s ways and modelling what it means to “love the LORD your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”</span></blockquote>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvHK6F2EGjY/T_55FmXcEjI/AAAAAAAAACc/qhvhemnTUrg/s1600/art-Fathers-420x0smh.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvHK6F2EGjY/T_55FmXcEjI/AAAAAAAAACc/qhvhemnTUrg/s200/art-Fathers-420x0smh.jpg" height="126" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo sourced from SMH </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Prof Cairney draws on demographic research to illustrate the changing structure of the family, and discusses how changes in employment patterns have impacted on the family. He discusses how research suggests that changing working patterns are having many adverse effects on families. In particular, highlights that atypical hours of work are problematic with negative impacts on health, relationships, families and children’s well being. He also reminds us what the bible teaches on God-centred families and in particular fathers. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Eph 6:4</span></blockquote>
<br />
The article referenced in this blog post is available as a free download from the <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_12_2007_family_foundations/">CASE Website</a>. CASE
Associates receive <i>Case</i> magazine 4 times per year as part of their
benefits. For blog followers who are yet to be CASE Associates you can
sign up <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">HERE</a> or order a single copy <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/back_issue_purchase/">HERE</a>. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-47975390817333998632014-02-14T17:28:00.000+11:002014-02-14T17:28:45.591+11:00The Heavens Declare His GloryGuest post written by Patrick Chan <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjkFVa-6PcQ/Uv2x6mYb3yI/AAAAAAAAIqU/aCRuqEyV8WY/s1600/sydney-observatory-aerial-view_19oct07_nswfb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjkFVa-6PcQ/Uv2x6mYb3yI/AAAAAAAAIqU/aCRuqEyV8WY/s1600/sydney-observatory-aerial-view_19oct07_nswfb.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Recently my wife Vivian and I went to the Sydney Observatory at night for our first wedding anniversary. It was a wonderful experience. We managed to learn a bit about astronomy, but we also had a real sense of the 'heavens declaring the glory of God'.<br />
<br />
Today, the Sydney Observatory is in the middle of the city near the Rocks, where the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fleet">First Fleet </a>landed. However, it's set atop a hill so we could see the southern hemisphere's constellations - or at least some of them. Of course, we could see far more - and far more clearly - than if we happened to be in the Central Business District (CBD) or city centre or downtown of Sydney.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, the Sydney Observatory has not functioned as a research facility for several decades primarily due to its location which predisposes it to heavy light pollution. The city lights outshine the starry nights.<br />
<br />
Perhaps because we both hadn't been out to simply stare and take in the skies at night in quite some time, we were taken aback by the sheer beauty of it all. Let alone when we peered through the observatory's telescopes and were able to observe celestial objects like the planet Venus and the Moon. And yet, we had to be warned by the astronomer not to expect Venus, for instance, to look anything near as lovely as a digital photograph, and to be reminded that the real privilege lay in seeing the real Venus with our naked eye as well as via a telescope.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40f6SJS8Z_4/Uv2y6xfRUbI/AAAAAAAAIqc/EMm2ij0_ork/s1600/1280px-Night_Sky_Stars_Trees_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40f6SJS8Z_4/Uv2y6xfRUbI/AAAAAAAAIqc/EMm2ij0_ork/s1600/1280px-Night_Sky_Stars_Trees_02.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Above:</b> Image courtesy of Wiki Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
As I said, it was all a sight to behold, and it filled us with a sense of awe and humble praise to the Lord God who has "set his glory in the heavens," who, when we considered "the work of [his] fingers, the moon and the stars, which [he has] set in place," in turn echoed in our hearts, "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%208&version=ESVUK">Ps 8</a>).<br />
<br />
Indeed, the moon and the stars serve as fixed points in the present night sky, rotating in concentric circles around the south pole in the music of the spheres, some dipping under the horizon only to rise again in full crescendo. But though they're 'fixed' points, they're not permanently fixed, for the heavenly vault looks different now than it did in days gone past, and distant generations in future millennia to come will see what Vincent Van Gogh or Caspar David Friedrich did not.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Bt0xNezRU/Uv22ic_dzeI/AAAAAAAAIqo/9fC1WTPm2Zs/s1600/450px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Bt0xNezRU/Uv22ic_dzeI/AAAAAAAAIqo/9fC1WTPm2Zs/s1600/450px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" height="316" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Above:</b> 'Starry Night Over the Rhone' Vincent van Gogh (courtesy Wiki Commons)</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What Viv and I saw left us with great reverence for God. I can only imagine what previous generations of Christians must have seen, and how it affected them, for I suppose most would not have been city dwellers accustomed to skies occupied by skyscrapers and silence pushed out by the constant hum and background noise. I doubt they would have had to work so hard to peer beyond the fog and daze to see the cosmos glittering with its splendid gems and crystals. Perhaps they had a different, 'better' weight of glory to bear.Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-63713028328404340552014-01-23T10:34:00.000+11:002014-01-23T10:34:02.609+11:00Media Matters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32G9-gfrIMY/UuBRww_VDaI/AAAAAAAAIno/c8fPPEdOemg/s1600/CASE37-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32G9-gfrIMY/UuBRww_VDaI/AAAAAAAAIno/c8fPPEdOemg/s1600/CASE37-small.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
The latest edition of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a> magazine is set to arrive in mailboxes this week. Our topic is 'Media Matters'. Why? Because the media we engage with impacts what we do and what we think. It affects how we communicate and who we communicate with. In our varied contributions we reflect on how media is changing the world, and the impact—both good and bad—of those changes. <br />
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The first article is by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Taylor">Dr Jenny Taylor</a> of Lapido Media, who discusses the ‘religion taboo’ within the news media. News stories are frequently written by journalists with little understanding of the religious issues involved, and some ignore religious factors altogether. Taylor looks at why this is, how it is changing, and what Christians can do to overcome religious blindspots.<br />
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The focus then moves to digital technologies—the new media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and the like. There is little doubt that digital media has changed the way we communicate. It has enabled the establishment of new forms of virtual communities. It has given voice to millions who would previously have found it difficult to share their thoughts and ideas. We see YouTube videos ‘going viral’ as funny, profound, and sometimes even banal images of life spread across the globe in hours. We observe music and books being self-published and promoted in ways that would never have been possible in the past. Individuals and groups like change.org use social media to influence public opinion and to lobby governments. And we have vast virtual stores of information, knowledge and images available globally from desktops and via varied media. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78mBCH0TWG0/UuBTigKI1nI/AAAAAAAAIn0/2djN8bYVwDY/s1600/facebook-logo-png-transparent-background-i3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78mBCH0TWG0/UuBTigKI1nI/AAAAAAAAIn0/2djN8bYVwDY/s1600/facebook-logo-png-transparent-background-i3.png" height="170" width="200" /></a></div>
Yes media matters, and how it is used also matters. But there is a tension that has arisen as a result of the massive shift towards digital technology in the last five to ten years. Does this shift serve to enhance social engagement, or do the manufactured personae we inhabit online in fact undermine genuine relationship? Does it facilitate social activism, or an illusion that deceives us and others into thinking we care? Is the removal of constraints that embed us in ‘real’ social and moral contexts liberating or isolating? Do the dangers of being consumed by technology addiction and idolatry mean that Christians should avoid getting too involved, or is the greater danger that of becoming obsolete in a world that has moved on? These are some of the questions we need to consider.<br />
<br />
Julia Bollen addresses the reality of the pervasive forms of media that are ‘always on’, and what’s more, ‘always-on-us’. She asks us to think about the impact of the extensive use of new social media, and argues that the Bible places a special importance on face-to-face relationships and our ordained nature as embodied communicators. Looking at a different aspect of social media, Justine Toh exposes the emptiness of its role as a,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
‘court of public opinion where we crowdsource notions of justice, right, and what are acceptable or unacceptable views’. </blockquote>
<br />
In her view it is simply an aggregate of individual free choices, isolated from any context against which good choices can be made.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O0XnkLbRsOM/UuBVFhrAZGI/AAAAAAAAIoA/t79cX0F0S9Q/s1600/hirschhorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O0XnkLbRsOM/UuBVFhrAZGI/AAAAAAAAIoA/t79cX0F0S9Q/s1600/hirschhorn.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/scott-stephens/33390">Scott Stephens</a> (well-known ABC media presenter and writer) offers an insightful critique of the art and assumptions of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hirschhorn">Thomas Hirschhorn</a>. Hirschhorn claims that his art, consisting largely of disturbing images of human carnage resulting from war and trauma, is an attempt to remove the artist-as-mediator to allow the viewer to genuinely engage with a reality usually censored by mainstream media channels. Stephens seeks to turn Hirschhorn’s argument on its head by revealing that his presentation of reality comes with its own form of mediation. In counterpoint, Stephens considers the transformative power of the often gruesome religious images of Christ and martyrs, which, he suggests, have an integrity and connection to deep truths absent from the work of artists like Hirschhorn. <br />
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In a short essay and interview, David May highlights the potential digital media has for the church in building up believers and reaching non-believers. The practical essay argues that as Christians we,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
‘are privileged to communicate the greatest message of all, so it's worth embracing technology and media for the sake of the gospel’. </blockquote>
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In a brief interview David also explains how he has implemented some of these ideas in his capacity as communications director with his church.<br />
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Finally, this issue also includes a fascinating exploration by New College staff member Jonathan Billingham, who considers archetypal narratives and how they can be used by Christian artists. He illustrates his brief essay with his composition, 'Servitude'. A final segment—‘On holiday with C.S. Lewis’—is a collection of short reviews and reflections on the life and work of C.S. Lewis, testament to his ongoing influence on Christians today.<br />
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If you are not a subscriber to <i>Case</i> you can always read one or two articles free online from our website or you might sign up to receive your own quarterly edition in paper or digital form for as little as $20 per year. Subscribe <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/very_new_subscription_form/">HERE</a>.<br />
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<br />Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-37146905199112501972013-12-19T10:05:00.000+11:002013-12-19T10:05:09.657+11:00Veiled in Flesh: The power of music at Christmas<a href="mailto:c%61%73e%40%6e%65wc%6f%6cleg%65.u%6e%73w.%65du%2ea%75">A post by Edwina Hine</a><br />
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As I get older I continue to appreciate older hymns. Whilst I can still appreciate modern Christian music, some of the traditional hymns seem to capture the gospel so succinctly. As well, they communicate this message so majestically through melody and word that I am sometimes a little disappointed that the traditional hymns are not sung as often as they use to be.<br />
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Christmas Carols are no different - if we take Hark the Herald Angels Sing as an example<br />
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Hark the herald angels sing</div>
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“Glory to the newborn King!</div>
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Peace on earth and mercy mild</div>
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God and sinners reconciled”</div>
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Joyful, all ye nations rise</div>
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Join the triumph of the skies</div>
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With the angelic host proclaim:</div>
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“Christ is born in Bethlehem”</div>
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Hark! The herald angels sing</div>
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“Glory to the newborn King!”</div>
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Christ by highest heav’n adored</div>
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Christ the everlasting Lord!</div>
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Late in time behold Him come</div>
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Offspring of a Virgin’s womb</div>
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Veiled in flesh the Godhead see</div>
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Hail the incarnate Deity</div>
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Pleased as man with man to dwell</div>
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Jesus, our Emmanuel</div>
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Hark! The herald angels sing</div>
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“Glory to the newborn King!”</div>
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Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!</div>
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Hail the Son of Righteousness!</div>
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Light and life to all He brings</div>
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Ris’n with healing in His wings</div>
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Mild He lays His glory by</div>
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Born that man no more may die</div>
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Born to raise the sons of earth</div>
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Born to give them second birth</div>
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Hark! The herald angels sing</div>
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“Glory to the newborn King!”</div>
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We see the the gospel message clearly proclaimed. Right from the the first verse we are told that God and sinners are reconciled through the birth of a new King. The third verse addresses Christ overcoming death and bringing new life to believers - eternal life. And yet it is the second verse that gave me pause for thought today. This Christmas Carol is being sung countless times this advent season, and not only in Churches, but at secular Christmas celebrations. For example, it is piped through hundreds of shopping centres and sung at public carol services of varied types.<br />
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The incarnation of Christ is at the centre of this carol. I suspect that some non-Christians must sing the words and not fully comprehend the enormity of the claims of the words. Christians throughout history return to the debate of reconciling the diverse views regarding Jesus' humanity and divinity. <br />
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Looking closely at the second verse of <i> Hark the Herald Angels Sing </i><br />
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Veiled in flesh the Godhead see</div>
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Hail the incarnate Deity</div>
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Pleased as man with man to dwell</div>
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The carol reminds the singer Christ came as a man - echoing John 1:1, 14<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.........<br />14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us </span><br />
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The carol goes on to tells us that Christ was pleased to take on his humanity "Pleased as man". Christ took on his humanity willingly, for our sake and ultimately his own glory. But why is Christ's Divinity and humanity so important? Colossians 1:15, 19-20 sheds some light on this.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.</span><br />
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Understanding the incarnation is essential in grasping what Christmas and Christianity is all about. And whilst the idea is not a simple one to grasp, it has been and will continue to be a well debated point of theology. <i>Case</i> Readers might find an article in the 2011 December edition Selling Christmas a helpful read when considering the Incarnation. The article is entitled "<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE_29_veiled_in_flesh-WEB.pdf" target="_blank">Veiled in Flesh: Can we believe the incarnation today</a>?" (by Dr John McClean). It has been available on <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE_29_veiled_in_flesh-WEB.pdf" target="_blank">online</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-38659961181198437902013-11-19T11:46:00.000+11:002013-11-19T11:46:11.418+11:00In Secular Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In our latest edition of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i></a> magazine we explore the topic of secularity. Christians have something of a love-hate relationship to secularity. Its seemingly unstoppable march across the Western world and beyond is lamented by those who attribute to it the passing of ‘Christian values’ from society, a reduction in church attendance, the end of school nativity plays, and sport rather than life-of-Jesus movies on TV on Easter Sunday.<br />
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On the other hand, history shows that Christians have frequently benefitted from secular attitudes, and have actively promoted the secular state for the protection it provides against religious coercion and persecution. <a href="http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_arts/department_of_ancient_history/staff/emeritus_professor_edwin_judge/">Edwin Judge</a> delves into the ancient history of secular government and the role of the early church in its development in his article ‘How religion became secular’ (p9). Addressing more recent history, Danny and Debbie Mullins’ plot the French path to secularism which, along the way, also illustrates how secular government can protect religious freedom.<br />
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This love-hate relationship may be understood according to where Christianity sits in the relevant power structures when it interacts with the secular. Where Christianity is (or has been) the dominant religion and there has been little persecution—in countries like Australia—a rise in secularity means a loss of comfort, loss of shared assumptions, loss of privileges (or an extending of previously exclusive privileges to other religions), and so it is viewed negatively. However, in contexts where Christianity is on the receiving end of intolerance and oppression from hostile state religion, secularity can be welcomed as a bringer of religious freedom.<br />
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But restrictions on religious freedom for ‘other religions’ do not always come from governments that are tied to religion. Legislation that protects freedom of religion itself can cross the line into an aggressive freedom from religion.<br />
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A secularity that provides space for the peaceful co-existence of
different religious doctrines and ways of life (within limits of mutual
respect of the rights of others), can slip into a secularism where that
space becomes opposed to all religion. Ironically, secularism here
becomes itself a kind of substitute religion—an anti-religion—with its
own dogmas and practices that all must adhere to or be labelled
‘heretic’.</blockquote>
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The political secularism of France is again illustrative of this, with its ban on wearing religious symbols in public educational institutions. Don Carson’s book '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Intolerance-Tolerance-D-Carson/dp/0802869408">The Intolerance of Tolerance</a>', reviewed in this issue by Alison Woof, also points to evidence of this trend this in North America.<br />
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What should be the response of the church in this complex age where debate about secularism is a difficult and significant issue for the Christian church to understand and engage with? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Hauerwas">Stanley Hauerwas</a> in his essay writes that the Christians are citizens of heaven and that this should lead us to embrace a ‘heavenly politics that makes it possible for us to be a people who are an alternative to the worldly politics’. In other words, he sees the church as serving democracy as a different type of community. This, he argues, should demonstrate respect for adversaries within and outside the church, rather than simply being a '...tributary to whatever secular consensus seems strong at the time'. The difficulties are not going to go away. Christendom has passed, and Christians must again learn ‘like the Jews, to live in diaspora… To so live means we will be without security of place other than heaven, but surely that is the grandest security to be had’ (p8).<br />
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In addition to our pieces dealing directly with the issue of secularity in this edition of <i>Case</i> Magazine, David Hohne’s article examines the epistemic and moral burdens sceptics bear in their disengagement from the world, and the relief that may be found in Christ. Finally, in ‘Manufacturing belief’ Dani Scarratt reviews a book on brainwashing, and looks at the implications for Christians on both sides of the persuasive interchange.<br />
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If you don't currently subscribe to Case there are many ways that you can read this edition. You could subscribe (<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">here</a>), and receive a paper or electronic copy of the quarterly magazine. You could also read one of the articles free on the CASE website (<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/">here</a>). Or you could buy single issues of the magazine online (<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/new_back_issue_purchase/">here</a>). I hope that many will find this edition of <i>Case</i> helpful and thought-provoking. Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-58492483370569963632013-11-04T09:20:00.000+11:002013-11-04T09:20:54.631+11:00'Zoe's Law': So when does life begin?A Post by Edwina Hine<br />
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For several months now the NSW Parliament has been discussing an issue broadly entitled "Zoe's Law". In essence the discussion has stemmed from a series of car accidents and assaults that resulted in mothers losing their unborn children. It would appear that the current state laws do not adequately address the protection of unborn children in cases of such trauma and crime, and that only the injury to the expectant mothers can be dealt with through the courts of Law.<br />
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When "Zoe's Law" was first proposed, most of the community saw the advantages of introducing such legislation. For most, it seemed only natural that when crimes result in a mother losing their unborn child, those that are found to be at fault are held to account. However, as the time draws near for the law to be debated in Parliament, it seems support for the bill is fading. The <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/no-need-for-foetal-rights-bill-says-law-society-20131030-2whcw.html" target="_blank">SMH</a> reported this week that the NSW Law Society has joined the push to oppose the bill. They have written to all members of parliament stating<br />
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Changing the law so an unborn child is a ''living person'' under the Crimes Act would have broader consequences</blockquote>
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The NSW Law Society are not the first to raise these concerns, not surprisingly the bill has been opposed for some time by the Pro-choice lobby who fear that 'Zoe's law' would also have a bearing on current laws regarding the termination of pregnancies. The discussion surrounding this issue is a sensitive one, I was taken aback however when the NSW Law Society criticised "Zoe's Law", as the Bill moves to define a 20 week old fetus as a living person. The Law Society goes as far as to say this definition is 'Arbitrary'. <br />
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Such a debate - is certainly a thought provoking one, I have found Megan Best's article in<i> Case</i> # 17 'Living And Dying Ethically', entitled "<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/03_pdfs/embryo%20liberation_case17.pdf" target="_blank">Embryo liberation</a>" helpful as I have thought through some of the issues during this debate. Whilst the article specifically discusses the use of human embryos for research purposes, Megan's analysis covers the broader issue of life and whether it begins at conception or at a later time. Dr Best covers the biblical aspects of the issue, although her article actually begins with a clear analysis of the science behind conception. Best concludes that fertilization,<br />
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"… is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is formed when the chromosomes of the male and female pronuclei blend in the oocyte (egg). The embryo, from the time it is created, is a unified, unique, dynamic, self directed whole, not just a collection of cells."</blockquote>
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Dr Best reminds us that Psalm 139 indicates that we are known to God from the moment we are in the womb, and perhaps more importantly, we are made in God's own image<br />
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Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...</blockquote>
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I imagine, many of you like me, would shy away from engaging in the current debate surrounding 'Zoe's <span style="text-align: center;">Law'. The issue is emotive, and will likely bring us into conflict with some of our friends and family. But I commend Dr Megan Bests article to <i>Case</i> readers, Christians cannot properly contribute to debate the proposed law changes unless they are well informed and understand the topic properly.</span><br />
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The article I reference in this post is available as a free download from the <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/03_pdfs/embryo%20liberation_case17.pdf" target="_blank">CASE Website</a>. CASE Associates receive<i> Case</i> magazine 4 times per year as part of their benefits. For blog followers who are yet to become CASE Associates you can sign up <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/very_new_subscription_form/" target="_blank">HERE</a> or order a single copy <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/new_back_issue_purchase/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="mailto:c%61%73e%40%6e%65wc%6f%6cleg%65.u%6e%73w.%65du%2ea%75">Send CASE an email</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-66944632516054403062013-10-09T13:40:00.000+11:002013-10-09T13:40:50.805+11:00Thinking theologically about evil & sufferingA post by Edwina Hine<br />
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This weekend I was sent a link to the following <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9041841/the-war-on-christians/" target="_blank">article</a> ("The War on Christians"). It is an article that draws sharp attention to the persecution of various Christian communities around the world, including the recent attacks on churches in Peshawar Pakistan, and in Wajir Kenya.<br />
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The article quotes a recent study conducted by the <a href="http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/Center-for-the-Study-of-Global-Christianity.cfm" target="_blank">Gordon -Conwell Theological Seminary</a> that calculated that approximately 11 Christians are killed every hour around the world. As the article goes on to catalog an array of shocking instances of Christian persecution around the globe, the reader is left asking - <i>why is the world silent when such things happen? </i>The article cited above, covers the topic quite well, however after reading it, I was left asking more than <i>why is the world silent?</i>. My reading of the article brought me also back to the well worn question of <i>why god allows such evil ? </i><br />
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It is a question that can perplex both Christians and non Christians alike, however recently I also read <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE_34Russell.pdf" target="_blank">"Acts of God . Thinking theologically about natural disasters and other evils" </a>which was republished in our 10th Anniversary edition of <i>Case</i> Magazine. I found this a very insightful article that helps the reader come to terms with some the issues that cause some consternation when dealing with this topic. Matheson Russell's article does not aim to answer all the questions regarding evil and suffering, but it leads the reader to think through carefully many of the issues involved.<br />
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We are reminded in the article we have a deeply responsible God, and that he does have sovereignty over all creation, and at the same time we cannot escape the fact that the<br />
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overarching biblical narrative of sin and redemption takes as its premise that there are beings that actually oppose the will of God and actions that occur in disobedience to his commands. At every turn in the biblical narrative it is assumed both that God is the sovereign creator and that God’s sovereignty is contested</blockquote>
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When I first read the article "The War on Christians" I admit I was a little disheartened, but when reading Russel's article in <i>Case</i>, I was reminded that God is loving and active in this world - that when Gods world is <br />
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vandalised by pointless, destructive and despicable acts carried out in defiance of God’s express will, it doesn’t matter how extreme the evil is, it does not exceed the reach of God’s justice, the depths of his love, or his capacity to redeem.</blockquote>
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Russel's article goes on to remind us that God's sovereignty is exemplified in the the arrival of Jesus as Messiah, he has not let evil go unchecked, he has not abandoned his promises, and we has not forgotten to uphold the cause of the innocent.<br />
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God in Christ has waged the decisive battle to judge sin, overthrow evil and defeat death. And what he began in the death and resurrection of Christ he has promised to complete when Christ returns.</blockquote>
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I can well recommend reading Matheson Russell's article which is available to read on the CASE <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/images/uploads/CASE_34Russell.pdf" target="_blank">website</a>. A back issue of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_34_10th_anniversary_edition/" target="_blank"><i>Case</i> #34</a> can be purchased <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/new_back_issue_purchase/" target="_blank">here</a>, or if you wish to become a Case subscriber you should visit <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="mailto:c%61%73e%40%6e%65wc%6f%6cleg%65.u%6e%73w.%65du%2ea%75">Send CASE an email</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-59769760403201925122013-09-24T16:54:00.000+10:002013-09-24T16:54:26.065+10:00Stanley Hauerwas - 'Thinking, Writing and Acting Politically'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wabfYkUco20/UkEct1KoobI/AAAAAAAAIRo/PpSk09m0BcE/s1600/Stanley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wabfYkUco20/UkEct1KoobI/AAAAAAAAIRo/PpSk09m0BcE/s400/Stanley.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Prof Stanley Hauerwas delivers the 2013 New College Lectures</span></td></tr>
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We have just completed the <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/sydney/new-college-lectures-1">2013 New College Lectures</a> that were delivered by <a href="http://divinity.duke.edu/academics/faculty/stanley-hauerwas">Professor Stanley Hauerwas</a> from Duke University. His lectures had the title <i>'The Work of Theology: Thinking, Writing and Acting Politically'</i>. In the three lectures Professor Hauerwas revisited positions he had taken in the past, and reframed them to help clarify and understand how he has engaged in theology as a practical discipline. Hauerwas suggested that the talks were in a way inspired by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Barth">Karl Barth</a> who wrote an essay entitled, “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Bultmann">Rudolph Bultmann</a>—An Attempt to Understand Him.” However, Prof Hauerwas suggested that they might best be characterised as a series of thought experiments entitled, “Stanley Hauerwas—An Attempt to Understand Him.” There were three lectures in all on consecutive nights (17-19th Sept) preceded by a shorter address to the residents of <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/">New College</a> at a formal dinner prior to the lectures (16th September). You can download the lectures plus the formal dinner address <a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives">HERE</a>.<br />
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<b>‘How I Think I Learned to Think Theologically’</b> – In the first lecture Professor Hauerwas explored the character of practical reason as an exemplification of the kind of reasoning that is intrinsic to the theological task. In this first lecture he drew heavily on the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alasdair_MacIntyre">Alasdair MacIntyre</a> and MacIntyre's argument that if we are to consider questions of justice and rationality, then we must recognise that such questions are not the same for all people. Hauerwas (acknowledging MacIntyre) argued that "<i>...a person of practical reason is able to think for themselves only by thinking with others.</i>" He suggested that this will also depend on who you are and how you ultimately understand yourself. The ideas explored of course owe much to Aristotle and the way he distinguishes between scientific knowledge and practical wisdom. Having provided an account of practical reasoning Hauerwas then turned to a reflection on how he might have learned to think theologically drawing in particular on his memoir '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hannahs-Child-A-Theologians-Memoir/dp/0802864872">Hannah's Child'</a>.<br />
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<b>‘How To Write a Theological Sentence’</b> – In his second lecture Hauerwas drew heavily on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Fish">Stanley Fish’s</a> book ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Sentence-And-Read/dp/006184053X">How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One</a>,’ and explored how difficult it is to write a sentence that expresses what we should say theologically about God. Before discussing Fish he again reminded us that how we understand and communicate theology reflects '<i>...how Christians find themselves in the world</i>' and that for theological writing to have impact it must make the familiar strange. Theology also needs to be writing about God rather than writing about what theologians in the past have said about theology. He explained that one of the key foundations of the theories of Fish is that syntax has an inexorable logic '<i>...a ligature of relationships that makes a statement about the world that we can contemplate, admire, or reject'</i>. He then used this to consider effective theological thinking and writing. In doing this, he drew many examples from the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jenson">Robert Jenson</a>. For example, his sentence '<i>God is whoever raised Jesus from the dead, having before raised Israel from Egypt</i>' was unpacked and the power and work of 'whoever' discussed. Theology he suggested frequently confirms the familiar and that a sentence like Jenson's makes the familiar strange and engages us. This he argued should be the quest of any theologian.<br />
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<b>‘How To (Not) Be a Political Theologian’</b> - In the final lecture Professor Hauerwas considered how politics has been at the heart of the first two lectures by drawing attention to current developments in political theology and in what ways he is, and is not, a political theologian. Of course, whether he is a 'political theologian' as some claim, will depend on how one defines 'political theology'. In the first section of his talk he considered how in Christian America there has been a sense of 'moral obligation to be political actors in what [is seen] to be democratic politics.' This talk drew heavily on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howard_Yoder">John (Howard) Yoder's</a> work, a critique of the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Richard_Niebuhr">Richard Niebuhr</a> on '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Torchbooks-Richard-Niebuhr/dp/0061300039">Christ and Culture</a>', and <a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/rausch-socialgospel.asp">Walter Rauschenbusch's</a> argument that the social gospel is the '.<i>..religious response to the historic advent of democracy</i>.' With this as a backdrop he explored the relationship between Christianity and politics and suggested that, in a sense, the development of Christian thinking about politics and government resulted in '<i>...the loss of the politics of the church</i>.' Hauerwas suggested that Yoder's thinking is a strong counter argument to Niebuhr and Rauschenbusch and that the church can serve democracy by being a community that respects adversaries within and outside the church, rather than simply becoming a '<i>...tributary to whatever secular consensus seems strong at the time</i>'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlnLjDw9tsg/UkEdCV-L6yI/AAAAAAAAIRw/-PTrULWNlCI/s1600/CrowdShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlnLjDw9tsg/UkEdCV-L6yI/AAAAAAAAIRw/-PTrULWNlCI/s400/CrowdShot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A section of the audience of almost 400 on the first night of the lectures</span></td></tr>
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The lectures where challenging and yet very practical. As always, Professor Hauerwas provoked all in attendance to examine varied assumptions and offered insightful and enjoyable critique, analysis and synthesis of the work of some key thinkers. He engaged the work of these theologians as he tussled with the challenges of thinking, writing and acting politically by using himself as a case study and backdrop to his thinking. Once again, you can download all three lectures plus his after dinner address below.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newcollege.unsw.edu.au/audios/audio-archives"><b>The lectures and after dinner address</b></a><br />
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'<i>A Theologian at Work</i>', address to New College Formal Dinner, 16th Sept, 2013<br />
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‘<i>How I Think I Learned to Think Theologically</i>’, New College Lecture, 17th Sept, 2013<br />
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'<i>How To Write a Theological Sentence</i>' -<b> </b>New College Lecture, 18th Sept, 2013<br />
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‘<i>How To (Not) Be a Political Theologian</i>’ - New College Lecture, 18th Sept, 2013<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRSGYVlhL5Y/UkEdOW1XqFI/AAAAAAAAIR4/p-K3ZoYGStk/s1600/MedalShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eRSGYVlhL5Y/UkEdOW1XqFI/AAAAAAAAIR4/p-K3ZoYGStk/s400/MedalShot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Presenting the New College Lecture's medal to Prof Hauerwas</span></td></tr>
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<b>Professor Stanley Hauerwas</b> is an American theologian, ethicist and
public intellectual. He currently teaches at Duke University serving as
the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity
School with a joint appointment at Duke University Law School. He is
considered by many to be one of the world's most influential living
theologians and was named 'America's Best Theologian' by ‘Time Magazine’
in 2001. His work is frequently read and debated by scholars in fields
outside of religion, theology, or ethics, including political
philosophy, sociology, history and literary theory.<br />
Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-9169498072093149402013-09-17T13:19:00.000+10:002013-09-17T13:19:18.030+10:00Who Am I?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snPZ7iTJb3c/UjfI1lLmCMI/AAAAAAAAIRY/Q8x7Y68RH-E/s1600/CASE35-Magazine.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snPZ7iTJb3c/UjfI1lLmCMI/AAAAAAAAIRY/Q8x7Y68RH-E/s200/CASE35-Magazine.bmp" width="141" /></a></div>
In recent times, I’ve experienced the fascination of exploring who I am in our family tree, as my daughter has researched our ancestors across six generations. There have been many surprises. We have discovered political activists, paupers, convicts, farmers and even a missionary couple to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen%27s_Land">Van Dieman’s Land</a>. But the most significant insight has been that across four centuries God has been at work in our family, intervening in lives, turning people in different directions, rescuing some from disaster, and sending others to places unknown.<br />
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My identity partly reflects the lives of ancestors – actions, goals, desires, values etc - but ultimately I am the work of the one who has searched me and knows me, He who ‘… created my inmost being…[and] …knit me together in my mother’s womb’ (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139&version=ESV">Psalm 139</a>). My God has ordained my purpose and continues to work in my life to mould and shape me by his Spirit as I live in the world. And he does this even though I am so easily distracted by the world and by those who don’t know me as he does.<br />
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In the well-known Australian children’s book ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/bunyip-Berkeleys-Creek-Jenny-Wagner/dp/0878881220">The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek</a>’ a creature climbs out of a muddy creek, sits on the bank and immediately asks of himself and anyone who will listen, ‘What am I’? A passing platypus helpfully tells him that he is indeed a ‘<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunyip">Bunyip</a>’! But this isn’t enough. He needs to know not just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what</i> he is, but what he looks like, and ultimately, <i>who</i> he is? Some witnesses run away in fright when he enquires about his identity, but eventually he bumps into a scientist who informs him that he looks ‘like nothing at all’ because ‘Bunyips simply don’t exist.’ The Bunyip ultimately finds peace when he comes face-to-face with a female bunyip and understands something of what and who he is by seeing another of his kind.<br />
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Like the bunyip, humans thirst after an understanding of who they are, their purpose, and why they are here. And like the bunyip, we often seek such an understanding through the eyes of others and our life circumstances. We even try to reshape ourselves to match the expectations of those who think they know best about our identity. Sadly, while humans are made in the image of God with a purpose that he ordained for us before we were born, we often spend much of our short lives searching for who we are, and why we are here in
surprising and pointless places.<br />
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Our latest issue of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case</i> magazine</a> explores the theme 'Who am I?'. Our identity is a topic that all of us have a direct interest in. But what does the Bible say that might help us to negotiate the tricky waters of who we are? <a href="http://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/michael-jensen">Michael Jensen</a> kicks this edition off with his reflections on what is perhaps the most fundamental distinction of all in regard to identity: what makes me a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">someone</i> rather than a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>? While this is a distinction we all feel we can make instinctively, it is not easy to spell out how it is that we identify ‘someones’. Ultimately, it is the knowledge of who we are in
relation to God that gives us a way forward.<br />
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The other articles in this issue all deal, in one way or another, with the consequences of the human failure to understand our significance and identity in relation to our creator, saviour and Lord. Like
the Bunyip, we often seek identity in the wrong places as we define ourselves by lesser things as sexuality, personality traits, sporting success, and the groups we belong to. The results are damaging both to individuals and those around them.
No doubt, it has always been the case that people’s self-identity has been caught up with sexuality to some degree, and now the connection seems stronger than ever. The obsession with being sexy/skinny/buff—whatever is the flavour of the month in sexual desirability—means sexuality can easily become the chief characteristic determining who we are to others and even yourself. Kamal and <a href="http://patriciaweerakoon.com/">Patricia Weerakoon</a> seek to contrast popular views of sexuality with the Bible’s view, and see how each stacks up against current sexological research.<br />
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Sports doping and asylum seekers have been hot topics in the Australian recently, and both have connections to personal identity. Every few weeks, a new revelation is made about drug use in sport, tainting past glories, and calling into question each new achievement. Edwina Hine and Dani
Scarratt explain the what, how and why of sports doping, and outline a Christian response that sees the problem as going deeper than cheating to the very heart of who we are.
The groups we belong to (and shun) also contribute to self-identity.<br />
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<a href="http://markrglanville.wordpress.com/author/markrglanville/">Mark Glanville</a> puts recent Australian asylum-seeker policy under the microscope of Deuteronomy, and finds it seriously at odds with the ethics of the Old Testament Law. This is challenging and important reading for those of us who serve a God who cares for the oppressed and the outsider.<br />
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In our ‘Books and Ideas’ section. <a href="https://citybibleforum.org/users/craig-josling">Craig Josling</a> delves into issues of personality with his discussion of two recent books on introversion, one from a Christian perspective and one secular. Finally, I review the
long-awaited book from Megan Best <a href="http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/fearfully-wonderfully-made"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fearfully and wonderfully made</i></a> which comprehensively explains the many medical and ethical issues surrounding the beginning of life.
I hope there is something to interest and challenge everyone
in this issue.<br />
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If you would like to <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">subscribe</a> or simply purchase this single issue of <i>Case</i>, please visit our website <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/about/case_associate_membership_subscription/">HERE</a>. Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-24162453669999316012013-08-31T21:51:00.000+10:002013-08-31T21:51:00.012+10:00The more things change…<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A post by Dr John Quinn </b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from Wikipedia Commons</span></td></tr>
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Shortly after being elected Anglican Archbishop of Sydney in 2001, Dr Peter Jensen found himself embroiled in a stoush with the then Prime Minister John Howard over the issues of aboriginal reconciliation and the treatment of asylum seekers. Twelve years later and the newly elected Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has also called for more humane treatment of asylum seekers. Has nothing really changed in the last 12 years?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of google images</td></tr>
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The 24 hour news cycle, with its insatiable hunger for new stories, creates the impression of a fast paced world where issues move rapidly and circumstances change constantly. You can tune into news around the clock, through ABC News 24, the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera or any number of other media outlets. News websites are constantly being updated with new material. Live blogs cover the day’s goings on in Parliament or on the campaign trail. Political parties and businesses engage communication consultants and PR executives to monitor the perception of their image. The treatment of any issue is necessarily superficial to keep up with the frenetic pace of the news cycle, and the image projected or the “spin” is where the real game seems to lie. Any in-depth research on a policy question is practically “out of date” before it enters the public domain. One has to wonder whether this is serving us at all well. </div>
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Even though we have greater and faster access to information than ever before, the pace of genuine progress on any given issue does not seem to have increased. Aboriginal reconciliation and asylum seeker policy are two great examples, but there are plenty of others. Whether the issue pertains to cost of living, housing affordability, work/life balance, mental health services, aged care facilities or environmental sustainability, it feels like we have had the conversation a thousand times over. And we usually have. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UAJp_d-tezM/Uh_MI82D9pI/AAAAAAAAAV4/e86T7QPMnqk/s1600/bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UAJp_d-tezM/Uh_MI82D9pI/AAAAAAAAAV4/e86T7QPMnqk/s200/bible.jpg" width="200" /></a>Many Christians have embraced the digital revolution, blogging constantly and tweeting incessantly. Christian organisations invest an increasing amount of time and effort into online and social media resources (the irony of posting this on a blog is not lost!). Certainly we need to meet the world where it is at, having a presence in the digital realm is the being “all things to all men” of our generation (1 Cor 9:19-23). At the same time, the writer of Ecclesiastes ought to give us pause for thought:</div>
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What has been will be again,</div>
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what has been done will be done again;</div>
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there is nothing new under the sun.</div>
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10 Is there anything of which one can say,</div>
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“Look! This is something new”?</div>
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It was here already, long ago;</div>
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it was here before our time.</div>
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11 No one remembers the former generations,</div>
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and even those yet to come</div>
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will not be remembered</div>
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by those who follow them.</div>
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<a href="mailto:c%61%73e%40%6e%65wc%6f%6cleg%65.u%6e%73w.%65du%2ea%75"></a><br />
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The tools of digital and social media bring the constant temptation to be saying something new. In many cases the same thing was said a metaphorical five minutes ago, and the repetition changes little. Yet in the word of God we find what the world truly needs to hear. And it is the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-6457223843711357302013-08-14T15:57:00.000+10:002013-08-14T15:57:53.071+10:00Pushing Through The Election Blues?<b>A post by Rev Ben Gooley</b><br />
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Australians have an upcoming Federal Election. In many conversations I have had, disillusionment seems to be high with many struggling to find a party or leader to support with genuine enthusiasm.<br />
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For all its faults, the democratic system we enjoy in Australia works best when the wider populace is properly engaged with the electoral process, understands the key issues and asks their candidates intelligent questions.<br />
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For Australian Christians there are a number of tools to help move beyond the sound bites of the nightly news and understand a little more about the stated positions of the various parties.<br />
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The ABC has launched their <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/votecompass/">Vote Compass</a> which tries to plot your answers to a short set of questions against the policies of the major parties (they evaluate the ALP, Coalition and Greens). Its plotting is necessarily fairly basic, but it is also quite straightforward to use and may be helpful to some in understanding the differences of the major parties on a variety of issues. There are also links that give more detailed summaries on various issues.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.au/">Bible Society Australia</a> has also tried to gather relevant information on a variety of issues for Christians in their <a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.au/election2013">Federal Election Guide 2013</a>. It considers more than just the major parties, and unashamedly takes a Christian perspective. With the enormous breadth of opinion among Christians on every issue this is non-trivial. Their methodology is to provide quotes and articles by key leaders and commentators, as well as a summary of the party positions, and allow the reader to reach their own (better) informed opinion. It takes a little work, but is a useful summary on understanding the issues more deeply.<br />
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While it’s often easiest to slide into a cynical disillusionment about Australian politics, remaining uninformed will only encourage more sound-bite policies. Perhaps these resources will help in pushing through the election blues.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-25199721796372484362013-07-31T12:51:00.000+10:002013-07-31T12:51:27.261+10:00Rethinking the place of work, rest and play in the 'self-consistent' lifeI wrote a post on '<a href="http://andjustincase.blogspot.com/2010/05/childrens-loss-of-play-need-of-families.html">Children's loss of play</a>' a couple of years ago and I continue to reflect upon my central thesis. That is, could the failure of adults to understand the nature of play and its importance, be depriving their children of play, and at the same time offering them life models that might just shape their own use of time in negative ways when they grow up?<br />
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In my last post on this topic I cited Kenneth R. Ginsburg's work that suggests play is critical for children and fulfils many needs:<br />
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<li>Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.</li>
<li>Play is important to healthy brain development.</li>
<li>Through play children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them.</li>
<li>Play allows children to create and explore a world where they can achieve a sense of mastery.</li>
<li>Play can also help them to conquer their fears while practising adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.</li>
<li>As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence.</li>
<li>Undirected play allows children to learn how to work and create with others, to share, to negotiate, and to resolve conflicts.</li>
<li>When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace and discover their own areas of interest.</li>
<li>Play is essential for the building of active healthy bodies.</li>
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But as well as being important for children, play is important for adults. In '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christian-at-Play-Robert-Johnston/dp/157910052X">The Christian at Play</a>' Robert Johnston argues that play is part of life and hence should be part of our consideration of what it means (quoting Thomas Oden) "<i>to live self-consistent and intelligible [lives] of faith in Christian community</i>". <br />
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Johnston has many interesting things to say. As someone who has a spent a lot of time as a researcher observing children at play, I have become conscious that I know less about play as an adult. Here's how Johnston describes play:<br />
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I would understand play as that activity which is freely and spontaneously entered into, but which, once begun, has its own design, its own rules or order, which must be followed so that the play activity may continue. The player is called into play by a potential co-player and/or play object, and while at play, treats other players and/or "playthings" as personal, creating with them a community that can be characterized by "I-Thou" rather than "I-It" relationships. This play has a new time (a playtime) and a new space (a playground) which function as "parentheses" in the life and world of the player. The concerns of everyday life come to a temporary standstill in the mind of the player, and the boundaries of his or her world are redefined... But though play is an end in itself, it can nevertheless have several consequences. Chief among these are the joy and release, the personal fulfillment, the remembering of our common humanity, and the presentiment of the sacred, which the player sometimes experiences in and through the activity. One's participation in the adventure of playing, even given the risk of injury or defeat, finds resolution at the end of the experience, and one re-enters ongoing life in a new spirit of thanksgiving and celebration. The player is a changed individual because of the playtime, his or her life having been enlarged beyond the workaday world (p. 34).</blockquote>
His comments are interesting and lead me to ask, might play have a different human value to rest and leisure? Is it a distinctive part of the life of the adult as well as the child, and can my engagement in play bring glory to God and help me to live a life of faith well? <br />
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We Protestants have always been suspicious of play and idleness, trusting instead in the worth of work and diligence in all that we do. But in the process we have often failed to understand the biblical sense of 'rest' and have been just as confused about 'work and its purposes. We know that God ordained rest at creation when He rested from the work that he had done (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:2-3&version=ESV">Genesis 2:2-3</a>). As well, we know that physical rest has a relationship to spiritual rest and God's ultimate plan and design for us, that we are to seek him in our lives. Our lives are to demonstrate that we understand and seek the only true rest that is to be found in Christ (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2011:28-29&version=ESV">Matthew 11:28-29</a>). Play is an added complexity because it isn't the same as rest, but it may be pursued as part of rest, as we seek in the midst of life, rest for our souls not just our bodies. Understanding work, rest and play is made even more difficult because in the modern era the place of play and rest, relative to work, has become confused. Johnston cites some of the following trends:<br />
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<li>As the amount of leisure time increases for some, the meaningfulness of work has decreased.</li>
<li>While opportunities for leisure and play have increased for some, there has been a reverse trend for many women with paid work adding to many of their previous responsibilities at home.</li>
<li>For many, work has become simply a means to an end; primarily, a way to increase purchasing power for life, with leisure increasing dramatically as an area of expenditure.</li>
<li>Free time does not necessarily mean rest, leisure or play for those who Staffan Lindner labelled "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harried-Leisure-Staffan-Burenstam-Linder/dp/0231086490">the harried leisure class</a>"; those for whom consumption dominates non-working time.</li>
<li>What people do when they have time away from their jobs can often be simply idleness. </li>
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There is much that could be added to Johnston's list some 30 years later. For example, today I suspect that Christians, like people in general, have a tendency to binge on rest and play, and I'm also not too sure that anyone has much more leisure time. For many, there is an inconvenient truth about the dominant place of work, as they seek to earn money to allow insatiable consumption in all parts of life.<br />
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In an age where most people feel time poor, and we spend too much time working and too little time entering into rest, a consideration of the role of play in life might just be helpful for many of us. As well, we may need to give careful consideration to the way we model what rest and even play mean in our lives as others observe us.<br />
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If you're interested in this topic, you might have a look at issue #24 of <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/"><i>Case Magazine</i></a> on '<a href="http://www.case.edu.au/index.php/case_magazine/case_24_2010_work_in_progress/">Work in Progress</a>'. You might find this helpful. Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-24957513315789672492013-06-27T09:57:00.000+10:002013-06-27T09:57:12.707+10:00On Intelligence and OmniscienceA post by Dr John Quinn<br />
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As I write, former US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden is en route to Ecuador, passing through Moscow and Havana. Mr Snowden is wanted by US authorities for disclosing information regarding the extent of US surveillance of its citizens’ internet and telephone activities. The disclosures, which were first reported in “The Guardian”, have rocked the US Government to the core, and have met with praise and contempt in almost equal measure. Those in the government and security establishment argue that Mr Snowden’s disclosures are treasonous, endangering the lives of innocents by compromising effective security programs and intelligence mechanisms. At the same time his actions are hailed as heroic by civil libertarians and journalists for pushing back against the increasing intrusion of the state into personal affairs. As thinking Christians what are we to make of this? <br />
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The New Testament is not silent on the role of government. In Chapter 13 of his letter to the Romans, Paul exhorts his readers to “submit [themselves] to the governing authorities.” Paul’s reasoning is not pragmatic, but is tied up in God’s sovereignty over earthly affairs: he writes “for there is no authority except that which God has established.” As result, “he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves”. Moreover, “if you do wrong, be afraid, for he [the ruler] does not bear the sword for nothing”. In short, the ruling authorities are to be treated with respect and a measure of fear, as they are instituted by God to administer justice. <br />
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I have to admit that these verses bring me some discomfort in light of Edward Snowden’s revelations. What if, God forbid, it became illegal to be a Christian? What if checking an online bible, calling your local church or even reading <a href="http://www.case.edu.au/">www.case.edu.au</a> could land you in prison? These are activities we do every day: should we just stop them in submission to a tyrannical state? While a cursory reading of Romans 13 might invite that conclusion, I don’t think the picture is quite that straightforward. In Verse 3 of chapter 13, Paul writes: <br />
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“For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.” </blockquote>
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So it is really wrongdoers that ought to fear the government, not those who do right. Of course, we now have a problem of definition: who are “those who do right” and “those who do wrong”? I don’t think there is anything too controversial in suggesting that for Christian people “those who do right” must ultimately be those who trust and obey the Lord Jesus. If this is the case then any government acting against Christians has moved from being an administrator of God’s justice to a persecutor of God’s people. The Bible is clear on both the reality and certainty of persecution for Christians. Moreover, while persecution brings suffering in the here and now, it ultimately points to the certainty of hope in Jesus. Hence there is nothing to fear from a government that persecutes, for the Christian holds to certain hope of ultimate deliverance through Jesus. <br />
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So, do Christians have anything to fear from a government that monitors our every movement? At one level the answer is no, because God would ultimately deliver us from a persecuting government. That said, it does not seem adequate to say that since God gave the authorities the power to monitor all our activities, we should just accept it. The potential for misuse of surveillance is substantial, and it is not only Christians who might face injustice as a result of government intrusion. As people who put others before ourselves we should be attentive not only to our own vulnerability, but also of others who might face persecution from an intrusive tyrannical state. The scale of government monitoring now evident, we need to think about how we work toward change, not through illegal means, but by advocating through legitimate channels.<br />
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Did Edward Snowden do the right thing? I have no idea. His actions have certainly upset the US government who are making all sorts of claims about the legality of what has occurred. Moreover, he has almost certainly violated those confidentiality clauses that were part of his work arrangements. Deliverance for Edward Snowden appears to be coming from somewhat unexpected quarters, via the Russian, Cuban and Ecuadorian governments. Leaving aside the morality or legality of Mr Snowden’s actions, and his now precarious situation, through his disclosures he has flagged a significant issue with which we need to grapple. We can thank him for that. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0